Megaman X: From Hunters, to Huntees
by Scion-XT
Summary: *FINISHED!* This is an Alternate Universe story!! I can't tell you much of the story here except X and Zero are looking for two Mavericks and meet up with a strange cast of OCs. This story is rated PG because it has Graphic violence and some swearing.
1. Introduction

Megaman X

Part 1 of:

From Hunters, to Huntees

By:

Imp-Chan

**Introduction**

Before I start the story, I want to explain things to all those people who are new the MMX series and started out in the later games. I started out at MMX6…not a good place to start if you want to know everything there is to know about the MMX series… Anyways, all the info I have in the story and the Intro is what I read on the website, www.megaman-x.com. 

     And I also have some info on the characters (OC and the original MMX cast) that will be appearing in the story. 

     Yes, yes, I know. Intros are SO boring, but gimme some credit here for trying to figure the whole Maverick Virus, Reploids and the plot holes out! Gomen if I leave anything out!!

**     - Reploids**

· Reploids are humanoid in appearance and in the way they act. They are basically robots with emotions. The plans were made by Dr. Cain, who tried to copy Dr. Light's plans of **Megaman X **with his own touches here and there because he didn't understand some of Dr. Light's notes.

- **Mavericks**

· Mavericks are Reploids who have gone insane. They were infected by the **Maverick Virus**, which turns them evil and uncontrolled.

-** The Maverick Hunters**

· The Maverick Hunters are an elite group of Reploids who have banded together to find and destroy, or "delete", Reploids who have gone Maverick.

-** The Units**

· **Zero Omega** is the commander of the 0 Class Unit, a class in Maverick Hunter ranks. This unit's specialty is "stealth", or "Shinobi" as I will refer to it.

· The 4th is a desert unit.

· The 6th is a water-based unit.

· The 7th is air-based.

· The 8th is armor-based.

· The 9th is a Special Forces unit.

· The 13th is a unit that works in the Polar Reign.

· The 14th is a "Grapple Combat Unit"

· **Megaman X** is the commander of the 17 Class Unit, which is a higher level of Hunters.

-** The Maverick Virus**

· The "Maverick Virus" or, as it is commonly called, the "Sigma Virus" (although its true origin is Zero, so it would be called the "Zero Virus"…AA! Too many names! O_O;), is a virus that is to Reploids what beer or any other alcoholic beverage is to humans. It takes away all moral that the Reploid had and the infected Reploid's violent and more lethal side comes out, which makes them give into their violent urges and destroy whatever they please without the annoying Chibi-Angel and Chibi-Devil appearing to torment them with the Chibis bickering.

- **The Cast (MMX Cast):**

**     - Zero Omega**

· Zero is **Megaman X**'s best friend and the commander of the 0 Class Unit of the Maverick Hunters. He has a very dark past, which will be revealed during the story (of course, all you MMX elders *no offence* will already know about his past, but people who started out late won't!). He was originally a Maverick who could (if I read that right) "rip Reploids apart with his bare hands". He was knocked out by Sigma, who used to be a Maverick Hunter before he himself went Maverick. He is usually calm and emotionless. He cared very deeply for Iris, a Reploid that he was forced to kill. This was his first show of some other emotion other then anger and pride. His main weapon is the Z-Saber, an energy blade and his secondary weapon is the Z-Buster, which can replace his right (or is it left?) hand when he calls it up.****

-** Megaman X**

· X is Zero's best friend and the commander of the 17 Class Unit of the Maverick Hunters. Everything about his past in unknown expect for a scarce number of facts. He was built by Dr. Light around 20XX and was put in a capsule, only to be discovered by Dr. Cain in the year 21XX (what is with all theses 'X's?!). He is, as the title of the series may suggest, the hero of the games. He doesn't like fighting or violence, but he does so because he feels responsible for the whole Reploid mess, since he is the first robot with emotions. ****

-** ???**

**- ???**

**- ???**

-** The Cast (OCs):**

**- Amy Rose**

· Amy Rose is a female Reploid. She likes flowers and LOVES a good mystery. Her hobbies consist of singing and poking her nose into places it doesn't belong, which usually gets her and her sister, **Izumi**, into tight jams, which her and her sister's friends, **Minmay** and **Jake**, have to bail them out of. She'll do almost anything to help someone in need but really dislikes Mavericks and Dr. Wily, who, thankfully, is not around anymore. She is very kind and calm, but has panic-attacks when in danger, which annoys her sister to no end. She attacks with a long handled hammer that, when hit against the ground, can cause a huge shockwave that is powerful enough to crush a brick wall within seconds. Her special attack is "Sonic Boom", an attack where she utilizes the energy around her and channels it to her mallet, which she then strikes the ground with, sending a huge explosion of sound at her opponent.****

**- Izumi**

· Izumi is Amy Rose's sister. She is also a Reploid and, much like X, doesn't like fighting and usually gets sick at the first sight of blood, be it Reploid "blood" or human. Izumi is always trying to talk her sister out of whatever crazy idea she has, but usually gets dragged along anyways. When angry, she attacks with kicks and punches that could crack a brick wall. Her special attack is "Dragon Uppercut". She gets easily annoyed with her sister, who can switch from ultra calm to panic attack mode within the blink of an eye. Izumi is best friends with **Minmay **and** Jake**.

**- Jake**

· Jake is hotheaded and one of the best fighters of this foursome of Reploids. He managed to talk the Doctor who made him into giving a special attack, which he calls "Crimson Blaze". He is quite skilled in hand-to-hand combat, as his friend and sister, **Minmay** and Izumi, are. He is **Minmay**'s older brother and is very protective of her. When he isn't making bad jokes, he's usually trying to pick up girls, which gets him bopped by his sister and friends. And believe me; Amy Rose's hammer HURTS!

-** Minmay**

· Minmay is Jake's ten-year-old sister. She is just like her brother when it comes to attitude and fighting skills. She enjoys fighting. She too was given a special attack, which is called "Pedal Shower". Other then that, she's usually trying to annoy everyone around her.

**- ???**

**- ???**

- **Terms**

· _Beam Saber_ – A plasma powered energy sword (basically a Light Saber *Check out any 'Star Wars' movie for reference*).

· _Colony Virus_ – The "missing link" of the "Zero Virus". This, mixed with the "Zero Virus", makes the pure form of the virus.

· _DNA Resurrection_ – The process of reviving a deceased Reploid by using some of their DNA.

· _Earth Crisis_ – The aftermath of the Eurasia incident. 

· _Elysium_ – X's word for the world of peace and happiness that he dreams of.

· _Emergency Acceleration System_ – The system that allows X to use DASH. I'll call it 'EAS' for short.

· _DASH_ – A burst of speed that is powered by the jets at the bottom of X's boots.

· _Micro-fusion fuel tank_ – X's power source.

· _Nova Strike_ – The attack used with both the Fourth Armor and the Ultimate Armor.

· _RP_ – Also known as "Reactor Power". Unit of measurement for a Reploid's speed and power.

· _Sub-tank_ – the backup in case the Micro-fusion fuel tank gets put out of commission.

· _ET_ (NO! Not THAT ET!) – My own word for "Emergency Transport". Its been installed inside of Zero and X only.

     Well! THAT was long winded! I think I wore a hole in the keyboard…

     On to the story! (Audience: Finally!) Hey! I was trying to explain some stuff!


	2. The Charges

Chapter 1:

The Charges

     Two Maverick Hunters walked toward the Tokyo library where several civilians had seen two Mavericks prowling about.

     It was midnight and a veil of dark clouds, which blew across the black night sky by the biting cold wind, shrouded the usually bright stars and moon from view. 

     The two Hunters reached the doors of the library, their Buster-guns at ready position as they slowly opened the doors to the dark library.

     The first Hunter stepped inside, holding his Buster-Gun, which was his hand mere seconds ago, at arms length. He looked over his shoulder at his partner and nodded for him to come in.

     The other followed, his own Buster-Gun ready as he followed his partner into the darkness of the library. The lead Hunter clicked on a flashlight, allowing them to see anything that lingered in the dark shadows of the stacks.

     For several minutes, the only sounds that could be heard were the soft 'tups' of the Reploids titanium boots against the grimy tile floors and the air that blew slowly and shakily past their lips.

     The second Hunter tripped over a small pile of books that had been knocked over, landing heavily on the ground, his black armor landing on the carpeted area with a hard 'thump'.

     The lead Hunter whipped around and glared at his partner before glancing around for any sign of danger. "Quiet, you!" he hissed as his partner stood.

     "Sorry…" the second Hunter grumbled, also glancing around nervously.

     Suddenly, a sphere of plasma struck the floor beside them, sending up rocks and dust in every direction. The Hunters jumped behind the stacks and started to charge up their Buster-Guns.

     "S***! What the h*** was that?!" the lead Hunter whispered, glancing around the wooden bookshelf when the dust cleared. His eyes darted back and forth, searching for the attacker.

     "I dunno, but here it comes!" the second Hunter shouted, pointing at the two Mavericks, who charged at them.

     In the light of the fallen flashlight, the two Hunters could see a small amount of the Mavericks faces, and what they saw made them gasp in shock.

     "No way! It can't be y—Agh!" from outside of the library, Reploids were awaken from their "dreams" by ear piercing screams of pain and terror, all of which were emitted from within the darkened library.

----------The next day----------

     The police gathered outside of the library, trying to keep civilian Reploids out of it while forensics and investigators took pictures of the mess within.

     Four Reploids, three teenagers and the other a kid, peered in through one of the back windows, wanting to get a better look at what was inside.

     The one, a female Reploid with crimson hair and amber colored eyes, looked very serious, while her sister, another female Reploid with the red hair and blue eyes, looked sick. The male Reploid brushed his long spiked black bangs out of his green eyes so that he could see. His twin sister also peered in. Between the two of them, the one redhead's face was sandwiched.

     She pushed them both toward another window and hissed in a New York accent, glaring, "Go find your own windows!"

     "Fine, whatever you say, oh high and mighty queen of redheaded Reploids." The male, Jake, grumbled, searching for another window.

     A rock hit him on the back of the head, making him stumble forward. He rubbed the back of his head and turned to face the one redhead, Amy Rose, who was smirking smugly at his annoyed expression.

----------Meanwhile, inside----------

     The police commander wrinkled his nose as the sight before him. The torsos of the two Maverick Hunters were sprawled on two bookcases, which had been knocked over in a struggle for their lives. 

     Reploid blood was everywhere, some even splattered against the wall in the struggle, leaving trails of crimson ooze on the usually spotless white walls. Pieces of the Hunters were laying scattered about the building, resting in puddles of crimson fluids. 

     The commander turned to a forensic, who was pulling the memory chip from the heads of the Hunters in hopes of finding out what did this. "What time did it happen?" he asked.

     The forensic looked up as he put the last chip into a small container. He fixed his glasses and answered, "I'd say about twelve-o-two."

     The commander nodded and dug into his coat pocket, pulling out a cell phone and dialing the Maverick Hunters HQ, tapping his foot impatiently as the loud ringing rang loudly from the earpiece.

     Someone picked up after three rings and asked, "Maverick Hunters HQ. What's the problem?"

     "Alia, this is Commander Feral of the Tokyo Police. We have two of your Hunters here…both quite dead."

     Alia, the female Hunter, gasped, "What?! What happened?!"

     "Two Mavericks attacked them last night. Completely dismantled them and even ripped out their Energy Cores. Whoever did this wasn't very tidy." He said as he and the rest of the team exited the building, carrying back samples of plasma energy, chips of armor and a few strands of blond hair, which were tainted with blood. 

     Several doctor Reploids rushed past them and into the building, stretchers and body bags in hand.

     "We found some strands of hair, some chips off of the Mavericks armors and traces of plasma energy. We're taking them to the police station to have them analyzed." Feral said as he climbed into his car and zoomed toward Police HQ.  

----------Later----------

     Commander Feral sat at his desk, a tight-lipped frown on his face as he read the forensic report. He slowly lowered the papers and picked up the phone equally as slowly as he dialed the Maverick Hunters HQ again.

     Alia answered and Feral read the report to her. He heard the phone fall to the floor as Alia slumped in her chair. He heard her fumble for the receiver and ask, "Please tell me this a joke…"

     "I'm sorry." Feral said, his voice heavy with despondency.

     "…I'll…handle them…" she whispered, hanging up.

----------Later, at Maverick Hunters HQ----------

     "WHAT?!" Megaman X, commander of the 17 Class Unit of the Maverick Hunters, and Zero Omega, the commander of the 0 Class Unit, yelled in union.

     Alia nodded sadly. "Its true. I'm sorry, but as Maverick Hunters its our job to destroy all Mavericks…" three other Hunters stood behind her, all looking quite miserable about what they had to do.

     Zero and X backed up as X protested against his companions' decision. "No! Its not true!" 

     A tear rolled down Alia's cheek as she said, raising a Plasma gun and pointing it at X's chest, right where his Energy Core was, "I'm sorry, X…"

     Zero, deciding to take action, grabbed X and bolted, dragging his friend away from the other Hunters and toward the holding bay.

     They could hear their fellow Hunters perusing them. A sphere of plasma crashed into the wall behind them as they ran. The warning alarm went off and all the doors began to lock.

     "S***!" Zero cursed, drawing his Z-Saber from its sheath on his back and slashing the door that had just closed in front of them. The blue beam saber sliced the door cleanly in half, opening an exit for the two Hunters to exit through.

----------A few minutes later----------

     Two Ride Chasers flew into the air, their drivers none other then Zero and X. The two vehicles landed heavily on the ground, but stayed upright. The two sped off, leaving their only home behind them. 

     X's hazel eyes were filled with worry as he said, sparing only a quick glance to his friend, "Well, looks like we're now on the Hunters Most Wanted list…"

     Zero's expression was a mixture of confusion and anger. He said nothing in reply to her friend's statement, only answering with a quick nod.


	3. The Retreat

Chapter 2:

The Retreat

     Amy Rose looked at her sister, Izumi, and said, a look of disbelief on her face, "I can't believe it…The two greatest Maverick Hunters have turned?"

     Izumi nodded slowly, looking equally as depressed. "I know…And I thought they were the good guys! You know, the heroes of this lousy story!" Jake spoke up, sounding and looking quite annoyed.

     Everybody sweat dropped at his statement. "Tell me, Jake," Amy Rose stood and laid a hand on her friend's shoulder. "What are you ON?! Glue?!" she smacked him on the back of the head, getting a cheer from Jake's ten year-old sister, Minmay.

     "WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON?!" Jake shouted, glaring at his sister.

     "The winning side!" Everybody face faulted.

     Amy Rose stood and asked, listening hard, "What's that noise?"

     "What noise?" Izumi asked.

     "…It sounds like…a Ride Chaser…no, make that _two_ Ride Chasers…and they're headed this way…" she answered, looking out the window of the old warehouse the foursome had called home since the Earth Crisis. 

     Izumi stood and joined her sister at the window. She looked at her sister, who looked about ready to go into a panic-attack again. "What is it?" she asked, trying to peer past her sister.

     "Its…the two Mavericks…X and…Zero…"

----------Meanwhile----------

     Zero lead the way toward an abandoned warehouse in the center of Tokyo, ignoring his friend's protests against hiding out in the old building, which looked about ready to cave in if someone were to even breath on it.

     "Zero! Can't we just—" X stopped in mid sentence when his partner's Z-Buster was stuck into his face, silencing any remonstration that he was about to utter. "Never mind…"

     Zero removed the Z-Buster from his partner's face and stopped the Ride Chaser. He climbed off of it and walked toward the old building, dragging X behind him.

----------Meanwhile----------

     Amy Rose panicked and grabbed her sister by the front of her shirt and shouted, "OH MY LORD! WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO?! WHAT ARE GONNA DO?!"

     Izumi pried her sister's hands off of her new shirt and said, "Sis, calm down. Do you REALLY think that the Mavericks that killed those two Hunters were X and Zero?"

     Amy Rose thought for a moment before grinning. "Yeah, I guess your right!"

     Just then, X and Zero walked in and stopped, staring at the four Reploids before them.

     Amy Rose's mouth was hanging open in surprise as she looked Zero over. 

     His red and white futuristic armor shone brilliantly in the last few rays of sunlight that streamed through the window. His long knee length blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail that fanned out behind him, making it look almost like a cape made out of gold and his helmet looked like a red and white sci-fi fighter pilot's with a large green jewel in the center of it.

     Minmay gapped at X, her eyes all big and starry. X's futuristic armor was painted with different shades of blue and his hazel green eyes shone with worry as he stared at the four of them. His helmet looked something like a motorcycle helmet with a large red jewel in the center of it. 

     Minmay walked forward until she was standing a few feet away from the two ex-Hunters. "Are you guys…the Maverick Hunters, X and Zero?"

     X knelt so that he was face-to-face with the little girl and said, smiling warmly, "Yeah. That's us."

     Jake, on the other hand, was too busy pondering the investigation to even glance up from the floor. He sat down and started to jot down ideas in his notepad. He raised one hand and said, "Hey." Then returned to his notes.

     Zero looked at the four Reploids, running an energy check on them. They all seemed to have some sort of main weapon. Three of them, Jake, Minmay and Izumi, all used their fists as weapons while the last one, another redhead, Amy Rose, used a long handled hammer with energy crystals round the base.

     The moment Zero looked at Amy Rose, he gasped and stepped back in surprise. She looked like a red haired version of Iris!

     X noticed the similarities and said, "She looks just like…"

     "Iris…" Zero finished.

     The two ex-Hunters caught the confused look on the Iris look-alike's face as she asked in a New York accent, "What's the matter? Maverick got your tongues? Or am I just too stunningly beautiful that your brain chips froze up?"

     Jake slid over and said, "No time for egos, Am. We got ourselves some Hunters an' their coming in."

     Amy Rose then slipped into panic-mode. She grabbed her sister by the front of her shirt and shouted, making her three friends sweat drop, "WHAT DO WE DO NOW?! THOSE HUNTERS ARE GONNA THINK DAT _WE_ WENT MAVERICK!!!"

     Izumi smacked her sister across the face a couple of times as she said, "Get a grip! Jake, get the paper bag before she hyperventilates again!"

      Minmay watched her brother bolt toward his backpack and said, "Amy Rose-san is funny."

     Amy Rose glared at the young Reploid and said, snatching the paper bag away from Jake, "Watch it, punk."

     Just then, five Hunters burst in and shouted, "FREEZE!"

     Amy Rose, shaking her head clear of all thoughts of just throwing herself out the window, held up her hands and said, mentally preparing her weapon, "He-y. We give."

     Jake, Minmay and Izumi saw what their leader was about to do and quickly followed suit, all praying that they wouldn't get themselves put on the Maverick Hunters Most Wanted list.

     Zero and X back away from the Hunters until they were beside the four other Reploids. Jake leaned close to Zero and X and whispered, "Get ready to do that Air DASH thing that you guys do best…"

     Zero and X looked at each other and, hoping that the Reploids knew what they were doing, readied their DASH option. 

     When the Hunters were about three yards away, Jake, Izumi and Minmay grabbed onto Zero and X as they jumped into the air using Air DASH.

     As soon as Zero and X's feet left the ground, Amy Rose's long handled hammer appeared in her hands as she shouted, energy gathering into the energy crystals, "Say hello to my little friend!" She raised it over her head and hit the ground, sending a shimmering ripple of energy outward, taking the Hunter completely off guard.

     Zero and X watched as the Hunters fell onto their rumps, their Buster-Guns changing back into their hands as they lay there, their eyes spiraling.

     The five landed and Jake said, following Amy Rose as she bolted out the door and down the stairs, "Awesome! We have GOT to learn how to do that…"

     Amy Rose smirked and said, ramming her shoulder into the door at the bottom of the steps, "Don't think you can."

     Zero and X were dragged toward the four Reploids' bikes, which were salvaged Ride Chasers.

     Zero was thrown on behind Amy Rose and Izumi while X was seated with Jake and Minmay. Amy Rose smirked at him from over her shoulder and said, starting the bike up, "Hold on to your helmets, boys, 'cause these things are the fastest Ride Chasers on the planet!"

     Zero started to protest, but his protest turned into a yelp of surprise as Amy Rose stepped on the gas, leading the two Ride Chasers toward the edge of Tokyo as several other Hunters appeared and pursued the retreating teens.

     A blot of plasma shot past Amy Rose's head, crashing into the ground in front of her. She swerved to avoid it, cursing.

     Izumi started to pray as she clung tightly to her sister as the bikes made sharp turns and hit speed bumps. Every time they hit a speed bump, she half expected them to go flying, crashing into the street. But this never happened, for Jake and Amy Rose were master escape artists when it came to car chases.

     Jake nodded to Amy Rose, who nodded back and they both flipped a couple of switches on their bikes control panels. Amy Rose glanced back at Zero and said, "Hold on tight, Hunter!"

     The two Ride Chasers glowed bright blue as well as their drivers. Amy Rose grinded her teeth and tightened her grip on the handlebars as she felt the energy from her Energy Core draining. She hated doing the Super Boost…

     Zero noticed the girl's pained expression and asked in a worried tone, "What's wrong?"

     She didn't even glance at him. "Its…*wince*…nothing I can't handle…"

     Izumi knew now was not the time to explain everything to the two ex-Hunters, so she kept her mouth shut and hoped that the Hunters would give up their pursuit before Amy Rose and Jake went unconscious from the lack of energy.

     Zero looked back and saw that the hunters were sitting at the end of the last street they had passed. He sighed in relief and said, "You can stop now."

     Amy Rose and Jake nodded and the blue glow faded from them. They looked and felt like they had been run over by a rabid Maverick with treads. 

     X tapped Jake on the shoulder and asked, "Are you both gonna be okay?"

     "Yeah…Just give us a few minutes and we'll be fine…" he answered, grinning weakly as they exited the city, stopped only when Tokyo was just a spec in the horizon.

     Zero sighed as he got off the bike. He and X looked back at the city they had once protected with their lives, but was now their enemy. He clutched his fist in anger and frustration as he said through clenched teeth, "We have to find out who did this so we can clear our names…"

     X nodded. "Yeah…"

     Jake, Minmay, Izumi and Amy Rose looked at each other and nodded. Izumi stepped forward and said, "We'll help."

     The two ex-Hunters stared at the four and asked in union, "What? Why?"

     Jake grinned. "Hey, its not like we have anything else to do! Besides…" he looked at his friends. "Its not like we have anyone to worry 'bout us." The last part was spoken softly.

     Zero and X nodded slowly. They knew it must've been hard for them to lose everything and everyone they ever knew and loved. 

     Jake, grinning slightly, said cheerfully, "Well, no since being depressed! Lets set up camp and get some sleep!"

     Everyone nodded in agreement and played rock-paper-scissors to see who got what watch. Jake got first, Izumi got second and Zero got third. Once the watch arrangements were set up, everyone expect Jake went to sleep.


	4. Zero and Amy Rose's Talk

Chapter 3:

Zero and Amy Rose's Talk

     On Zero's watch, he sat beside the small fire Jake had built while everyone else was asleep. He looked up at the still dark sky as he removed his helmet, letting his spiked blond bangs fall into his face as he studied the stars.

     Suddenly, someone said, "You know, you and X don't even know our names."

     Zero jumped in surprised and turned to see Amy Rose, who was sitting behind him, a small smile playing on her lips.

     "…And yours is?" he asked after a moment.

     "Amy Rose Ishida. That's my sister, Izumi, our friend Jake and his little sister Minmay. And you?" She said, sitting down beside him.

     "You already know them."

     "I know, but I wanna hear it from you."

     "…Zero Omega…and that's my friend, Mega Man X." he said after studying the female Reploid's face.

     She looked exactly like Iris, only with red hair, amber eyes, a New York accent and her baggy pants and tee shirt. He noticed her large green metal boots and gauntlets were dented and singed. 

     "Get into a lot of fights?" he asked.

     Amy Rose shrugged and grinned. "Yeh…a few." She answered, running a hand through her red hair.

     "Are you a fighter class Reploid?" he asked after a minute.

     "…I'm not sure. Dr. Ishida died before he could tell me what I was built for…" she said.

     Zero nodded and turned his attention back to the sky, the fire making his emerald eyes shine. Something cold ran down his cheek, leaving a wet trail in its wake.

     His new friend noticed the tear and asked, her smile fading, "What's wrong?"

     "…Nothing…"

     "You can't cry without a reason…" she said softly.

     Zero looked at her and saw the worried look in her amber eyes and sighed. "…You remind me of someone I once knew…"

     "…Who?"

     "Iris…She died several years ago…" he closed his eyes, fighting the raising emotions of sadness and anger.

     He felt a hand on his shoulder and he opened his eyes and locked eyes with Amy Rose, who smiled sadly.

     A tear rolled down her own cheek as she said, "I know how you feel…I once…loved…but…he was killed in the Earth Crisis…" Zero stared at the girl as she looked down at the ground and hugged her knees against her chest.

     She smiled after a minute and said, "Ironic, isn't it? Two outcasts who both lost someone they loved and are still kicking themselves for not being there to help them…I think someone upstairs has it in for us Reploids." The last part was in a joking tone, as though to lighten the mood.

     Zero nodded in agreement. "Agreed…Well, you best get some sleep." Amy Rose nodded and curled up beside him, closing her eyes and mumbling a faint 'goodnight' to her friend.

     He stared down at her and thought, _Why am I feeling this way toward her? Is it because she looks like Iris? Or is it…something else?_ He sighed and thought aloud, "Am I in love again?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

     As she closed her eyes, Amy Rose thought, _Why am I feeling like this? Could I…be in love? Again?_ She tossed this question around in her head until she had drifted into an uneasy sleep.

----------Meanwhile----------

     The silhouette of a man with wild hair asked to two Reploids who were standing before him, "Well? Did it work?"

     The first Reploid nodded. "Yes it did. X and Zero have been accused, just as you said they would be."

     The man grinned and waved his servants away. "Good! Huh?" a small Robo-Bat appeared and let out a series of high shrieks and with each shriek, the man's face hardened until his expression was one of pure hatred and anger.

     "So, Zero has some new friends, eh? Well, get rid of them! But leave the one, Amy Rose?, alive. She may prove useful in the future!" the man burst into a fit of iniquity laughter as soon as the last word left his lips.

     His laughter rang through the room, making his Reploid servants wince.


	5. Entrance of Old Enemies

Chapter 4:

Entrance of Old Enemies

     The gang had been walking from seven AM till ten pm and everyone was more then tired for the Ride Chasers had broken down around eight AM. Amy Rose was half asleep and every ten minutes or so, she'd ask, "Are we somewhere other then Sands-villie?"

     "Nope…" Jake answered every time.

     Zero looked over at Amy Rose, who had suddenly dropped to her knees. He walked over and knelt beside her as he asked, "What's wrong?"

     "I'm so tired…Can we call it a night? Pretty please?" she asked weakly, leaning on Zero for support.

     Jake nodded and everyone set up camp. Amy Rose fell asleep the second she laid down, leaving Zero to stare up at the sky and ponder the same thing he had been musing about since him and Amy Rose spoke; Why me?

----------Two days later----------

     They hadn't seen anyone for what seemed like years, but were only days. 

     That night, on Zero's watch, two Reploids watched the ex-Hunter practice the graceful yet deadly strokes he made with the glowing Plasma-powered saber. They moved slowly and silently toward Zero as he sheathed his Z-Saber and practiced his hand-to-hand techniques.

     The one Reploid, a boy who appeared to be about fifteen years of age, grinned and said, standing in the shadows, "So, you're the ever famous Zero Omega, eh? Sorry to hear that you went Maverick."

     Zero whipped around and asked, drawing his Z-Saber, "Who are you?!"

     The Reploid chuckled and stepped into the light, allowing the ex-Hunter to see him. The Reploid had large red knee-high metal boots and bulky red metal gauntlets. On his head, he wore a red helmet with white around the black visor that hid his eyes from view. A yellow scarf was wrapped around his neck and fell to about his knees. 

     "I'm Protoman. You may have heard about my brother, Megaman, and myself. I guess that would make you and me brothers, eh?" the Reploids said with a smirk.

     Zero took a step back in surprise. "B-brother?!"

     Protoman's smirk widened as he said, "Yep. Shocking, huh? Thought so myself when I was awakened by you-know-who."

     Zero shuddered as he remembered the mad man who had created him, but then said in a chocked whisper, "But…I killed him!"

     Protoman laughed harshly. "Do you REALLY think that the crazy Doc wouldn't find some way to survive your little assault, _bro_?"

     Zero clutched his teeth and spat, "Stop calling me that! I am not, in any way, related to you!"

     "Oh, yes you are, _bro_. Doc created you and myself. So, guess what, we're brothers." Protoman sneered, crossing his arms and grinning smugly.

     "Did you come here to tell me that we're brothers or something else? 'Cause if that's all you had to say, see ya." Zero said hotly.

     Protoman shrugged and stated, "Well, if you _must_ know, I came to warn you of something, but since you don't want my help, I'll be going. See ya in a scrap yard, bro."

     Zero, swallowing his pride, asked, "Wait! What is it that you came to warn us about?"

     His brother stopped and said, not looking back, "Well…" he appeared to be thinking, but was wondering if telling him was a good idea. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Protoman said, moving his Buster-Gun in front of him and charging it up, "I wasn't the only robot activated, but Bass, Megaman's old rival, was too…and he's after your buddy's head…And…" he slowly turned around, a smirk on his face. "So does Wily!" He pointed the charged Buster-Gun at Zero and fired. 

     Zero, shocked, didn't have time to move. But, as it turned out, he didn't need to. The ball of plasma flew past his head and collided with something behind him.

     He whipped around and saw another Reploid in black body armor. On his pitch-black helmet were two large fin-like structures that curved from the front of the helmet to the back of it. A Buster-Gun was in place of his left hand.

     On his face, he had two purple stripes that went from the bottom of his eyes and down his cheeks. He staggered back as the sphere of Plasma struck him in the chest.

     He cursed and said, wincing, "D*** you…"

     Protoman shrugged and said, getting to battle stance, "Nice to see you again, too."

     Everybody sat up and asked in union, "What's going on?!"

     Jake jumped to his feet and shouted, pointing at the black attired Reploid, "Holy s***!!! That's Megaman's rival, Bass!!"

     "Isn't that the name of a fish?" Izumi asked, making everyone sweat drop.

     "NO! It's pronounced, 'Base', not 'bass'! Baka!" Amy Rose shouted, hitting her sister over the head with her fist.

     Bass shook away his sweat drop and shouted, charging his Buster-Gun, "Get ready to perish!"

     Amy Rose jumped to her feet and shouted, her long handled hammer appearing in her hands, "I don't think so, buddy!" the Energy Crystals on it glowed bright blue. 

     Jake grabbed Zero and Protoman as his friend shouted, hitting the ground with her weapon, "Sonic Boom!"

     A large wave of blue energy hit Bass, sending him flying a good ten feet back.

     "Agh!" A robotic wolf with purple armor leapt from the shadows and onto his master's attacker, knocking her down.

     "Amy Rose!" Zero ran over and started charging up his Z-Buster, which he had placed at the robot wolf's head.

     Bass jumped to his feet and tackled Zero before his faithful friend could be fried.

     Amy Rose managed to shove the Robo-Wolf off and was able to climb to her feet. Reploid blood ran down her arm from the large gash in her shoulder, which allowed everyone to see the wires and titanium rods that constructed her.

     Zero and Bass, meanwhile, were rolling around on the ground, throwing punches at each other's vital areas. They only stopped when they heard Izumi say, "Nice puppy…oh you're a good wittle puppy-wuppy aren't you?"

     "Huh?" they both looked over and saw Izumi sitting on the ground petting the Robo-Wolf and grinning. Everybody sweat dropped as Amy Rose shouted, flames surrounding her, "WHAT THE @%$# ARE YOU DOIN'?!"

     Izumi looked up at her sister and said, not noticing the gash in her sister's arm, "Petting Treble. Why do you ask?"

     "How do you know his name?!" Bass shouted, jumping to his feet and pointing his Buster-Gun at her head.

     The young Reploid smiled and said, turning her attention back to Treble, "He told me. He's really a very smart Robot, you know that?" Bass's eyes widened in disbelief. This chick was either nuts or just the bravest Reploid on the planet.

     Everybody face faulted. "Did someone fry your brain-chips or what?!" Jake shouted from his position on the ground.

     "No." Izumi stood and started to tend to her sister's wound without even giving anyone a second glance.

     Protoman had to risk a question. "Who is she and isn't she the LEAST bit scared for her well being? Bass is a very dangerous Reploid!" he said.

     Amy Rose sweat dropped and said once her sister had repaired her arm, "No. She's my sister, Izumi. And I don't think we've met before…and as for you and your stupid,"

     "He's not stupid, he's a very intelligent Reploid-wolf. And, from what Treble's told me, his master is just as smart. A little evil, but smart." Izumi cut in. This statement made Bass's already wide eyes just about take over his face. _What is WITH this chick?!_ He thought, sweat dropping.

     "…Anyways, as for you and your dog, When I get this arm repaired, you are DEAD, mister fishy!"

     Bass's eye twitched in annoyance. "Mister…Fishy?! Why you little…!!!" he lunged forward, only to get blasted backwards by Zero.

     "You touch her, you die. Got it?" He asked in a dangerous tone as he pointed his Z-Buster at Bass's head.

     The Reploid propped himself up on his elbows and glared up at Zero from his position on the ground and, after several minutes of staring up the barrel of his enemy's weapon, nodded. Zero smirked and slowly removed his weapon from Bass's face, allowing the Reploid to sit up fully.

     X stood and said, "Okay. We want answers. Now."

     Protoman then told them what he had told Zero, who was watching Bass like a hawk.

     Every once in a while, Bass would glance over at Izumi and Treble, who was grinning like an idiot as the female Reploid pet him and giggled like a child. He sweat dropped and thought, _What in the h*** have I gotten myself into?_


	6. Zero Degrees

Chapter 5:

Zero Degrees

     Zero glared at Bass as she shouted, "Why the H*** do we have to HIM?!" he pointed at the black clad Reploid, who looked about as happy about it as his rival did.

     "You think _I_ like this arrangement?! I'd rather throw myself into a LAVA pit then deal with you!!" Bass snapped, a thin stream of lightning shooting between the two Reploids.

     Everybody sweat dropped as they turned SD and said, "This is going to be one h*** of a adventure…"

     After removing Zero's and Bass's hands from each other's throats, they group set off, Protoman and Jake in the lead.

     "Okay, lemme get this straight, your Zero's brother? And X's brother was sealed away in a capsule too? Oi yoy yoy…this is giving me a headache…" Jake complained, rubbing his forehead.

     Protoman nodded. "Yeah, Zero an' I are brothers…I think I burnt out a brain-chip trying to come to grips with the fact that it was now in the 21XX and not 20XX and that Dr. Light was now pushing up daisies. And I didn't know weather to throw a party or get drunk when I heard that Wily was also six-feet-under!" He grinned. "Personally, I hope the crazy doctor went slowly and painfully."

     Jake nodded and cocked a thumb at Amy Rose, who was walking between Zero and Bass. "Same with her. She read about Wily and wanted to build a time machine so that she could personally roast him! Though, her idea backfired…just like they usually do. We wound up in the hospital because it had exploded when we turned it on…Ow!" Several rocks connected with the back of his head, making him stumble forward a couple feet.

     "Don't you bring THAT up EVER again, or you'll wind up a scrap yard next ta Blizzard Wolfang!" Amy Rose threatened, looking very dangerous.

     Protoman laughed and said, "Looks like Amy Rose doesn't like to admit failure? Ow!" Amy Rose hit him on the head with her fist, making the red and gray Reploid wince. "She enjoys inflicting pain on people, doesn't she?" he whispered as he rubbed his helmeted head tenderly.

     Jake nodded and shut his mouth before his friend decided to stuff a sizable rock down his throat. "Smart choice." His friend said hotly.

----------Later----------

     Amy Rose shuddered and asked, hugging herself, "How'd it get so cold so fast?"

     No one answered. It was five o'clock pm, the sun was still out but the temperature felt as though it had dropped to about six degrees.

     Izumi also shook and said, watching a small white ball of ice float gently to the ground, where it melted, "I dunno, but I think it's snowing…"

     "Snowing?!" Everyone yelped. Treble growled and stepped between Bass and whatever the creature was that he was growling at.

     Everyone looked up from Treble to the area before them A gust of wind hit them, pummeling the Reploid's with needle-like snow crystals. They shielded their faces until the wind slowed to a gentle breeze. They looked up and saw a robotic wolf with crimson armor and its silver claws and teeth shone brightly in the sunlight as it said in a deep and dangerous voice, "Who are you and what is your business here?"

     X stepped forward and said, "We're just passing through. We do not wish to cause you or anyone harm. Please let us pass."

     The wolf said, getting into battle stance, "I will not allow you to pass here, for I am the owner of this land and if you do not leave here, I shall have to dismantle the lot of you!"

     Zero stepped forward, placing his hand on the hilt of his Z-Saber, and asked, "Who are you?"

     "I am Snow Flurry!" the robotic wolf snarled, baring its teeth. Its coal-black eyes flashed. Zero saw the color of its eyes and shook his head slowly.

     "Sorry about this, Snow Flurry, but…HYAAAAA!" he ran forward, drawing his beam saber as he let out a war cry.

     Snow Flurry howled and sprinted toward his opponent. He jumped into the air and fell toward Zero, his claws aimed for the ex-Hunter's head.

     Zero, activating DASH, avoided the strike that would've ended his life had it hit him. He skidded and turned to face Snow Flurry and attacked again. His Z-Saber connected with the Maverick's claws, which he had put up to block Zero's attack. The both pressed all their weight against each other's weapons, their faces inches apart and their teeth clenched tightly.

     Amy Rose started forward, but was held back by X, who said, "I think he can handle this one himself." The Reploid nodded reluctantly and watched.

     The battling duo jumped away from each other before attacking again. Snow Flurry jumped away and shouted, two cannons appearing on his back, "Freeze Cannons!" Two beams on blue light shot out of the cannons that were mounted on the Maverick's back.

     Zero jumped out of the way, narrowly missing getting hit by the energy beams. The second he landed on his feet, he was knocked backwards by Snow Flurry's claws, which sliced into the armor covering his chest. He bit back a cry of pain as he landed heavily on his back several feet away. His Z-Saber fell from his grip and bounced away from him, out of reach.

     Reploid fluid spilled from the four gashes in his armor, which he tried to stop with his hands. 

     X, Protoman, Jake, Izumi and Amy Rose jumped into the fray as soon as they saw their friend go down. Amy Rose's hammer appeared as she shouted, tackling Snow Flurry, "Sonic Boom!" A familiar wave of blue energy and sound struck the Maverick just as he was about to pounce on his adversary, knocking him onto his side. 

     Izumi rushed in and shouted as the Maverick stood and started to attack Amy Rose, her fist glowing white as it connected with Snow Flurry's chin, "Dragon Uppercut! Take that, you lousy Maverick!"

     Jake's foot bashed into the robotic-wolf's side as he said, "Try this on for size, you stupid dog!"

     X  and Protoman charged up their Buster-Guns and jumped into the air, pointing them at Snow Flurry's Energy Core. With a cry, they released the spheres of plasma on the robotic-wolf, shattering through its armor and crushing the Energy Core, sending Jake, Izumi and Amy Rose backwards with the force of the explosion.

     The two landed and ran to help their friends.

     Jake's eyes were little spirals and he was nursing a nice-sized head-wound, but nothing to bad. If anything, his ego was just dented.

     Izumi was leaning against a boulder, resting on her head. Her eyes as well were little spirals and she was moaning something about not wanting to pet some bunnies.

     Amy Rose, on the other hand, had landed face first on the ground and when Protoman rolled her over, she was in the same condition as the other two. X and Protoman sighed and sweat dropped.

     X ran toward Zero while Protoman tried to wake the other three up by slapping their cheeks and shaking them like rag dolls.

     When X reached his friend, he almost burst into tears. Zero was laying in a pool of his own Reploid fluids, his face unnaturally pale and his eyes tightly closed. He was breathing quickly and with each breath he winced.

     X knelt beside his friend and tried to stop the bleeding with his hands. It didn't do any good. "Zero, buddy. Hold on. We'll…get you somewhere. You gotta hold on…Protoman! Is Izumi awake at least?!" the last part he yelled, his voice cracking and his eyes welling with the tears that threatened to fall.

     "No!" Protoman yelled back, rushing over, Minmay at his side.

X stopped him before they were close enough to see the blood. "Keep Minmay away, Proto. She…she doesn't need to see this…"

     Proto understood and held Minmay back, despite the growing urge to run over and help his brother.

     Zero gasped as pain shot through his chest, startling X, who quickly removed his hands from his friend's wounds, knowing that he was the source of his friend's growing pain.

     Just as Zero's breathing began to slow, someone walked over, silhouetted by the sun.

     X looked up and saw a boy with a hover-truck and a robotic-dog. The boy didn't say anything as he knelt to examine Zero's wounds. After a moment, he stood and bolted back to the truck while his robot-dog sat beside X, whining in pity.

     The boy ran back over with a tool kit and some sheets of titanium. Pulling a pair of goggles over his eyes, he started to repair Zero, who's breathing had almost come to a complete stop.

     X watched the boy as he worked, only speaking once the repairs were done. "Will he…?"

     The boy removed the goggles and put them back in the toolbox before answering. "He will. His nanobites should restore all the fluid he lost within a few days." He stood and walked over to the other Reploids and repairing they're ignores as well.

     Proto watched the boy as he worked. "He's a human."

     "Huh?" X looked at his friend questionably.

     "I said, 'he's a human'…I didn't think humans could live out here with all the pollution that's in the air…" his friend said.

     "Close. I'm half." The boy said, walking over to the three Reploids and smiling as he wiped Reploid fluid off his hands.

     "What?!" The boy sat down, his spiked lavender hair moving in the light breeze.

     "I'm half." He smiled and said, laughing slightly, "I'm sorry. Ultra Unit always told me I talk to much…"

     Protoman spoke up. "Ultra Unit?"

     The boy grinned and pointed to his robotic dog, which walked over and nuzzled his master's arm. "This is Ultra Unit, my best friend."

     Ultra Unit smiled and, surprising everyone except the boy, said, "Hi! Excuse my master, he's a bit rude." He glared at his master, who rubbed the back of his head and sweat dropped sheepishly. "Allow me to introduce my friend, Scion Rush."

     Scion nodded and said, holding his hand out to X and Protoman, "I'm sorry, I should've introduced myself when we first met."

     X took the teen's hand and said, "Same here. I'm Megaman X, but my friends call me X."

     Protoman shook the boy's outstretched hand and introduced himself, his brother and the others, including Bass and Treble, who were standing behind them, listening intently. 

     "So, this guy here is _the_ Zero Omega, the famous Maverick Hunter and commander of the 0 Class Unit of the Maverick Hunters?" Scion asked, looking at the unconscious Zero.

     "Yeah…But now it's more like 'ex-Commander of 0 class unit'…" Jake said, standing and walking over to them.

     Amy Rose and Izumi woke up and asked in union, "What's going on?" They then saw Zero and panicked. "Zero-san!" they both ran over and knelt beside their friends.

     Bass sighed. "It's getting crowded over there…" he grumbled, sitting several feet away. Treble nodded in agreement.

     X then explained what had happened and why they were out in the middle of nowhere. Scion nodded slowly once he had finished. The group waited for the Reploid/human's reaction, which was _not_ what they expected.

     "…So, you're trying to find the people who framed you, right?" he asked after a minute, his eyes narrowing slightly.

     "Yeah…" X shifted nervously.

     Scion stood and walked toward his hover-truck, a thoughtful expression on his face. After a moment, he turned and said, smiling, "Then count me in!"

     Ultra Unit smiled and barked, "Me too!"

     "Its not like we have anything else to do, and besides," he grinned. "You guys look like you could use a guide! So, would you like me to come along?"

     X grinned as he and Protoman stood and walked Zero between them toward Scion's hover-truck. "Would we ever!" he said as their new friend helped them put Zero in the back seat. It was pretty big, big enough to hold Zero laying down and two people on either side of him!

     X and Minmay sat at Zero's head while Amy Rose and Izumi sat at his feet. Treble and Ultra Unit sat on the floor, glaring daggers at each other. Bass sat in the front, grumbling darkly about humans.

     Scion, ignoring the black-attired Reploid, started up the hover-truck and took off, dust flying up behind them.


	7. Zero's Nightmare

Chapter 6:

Zero's Nightmare

     It was ten pm before they saw something other then sand. A mountain sat in the distance, the top of it reaching high into the sky, almost as though it intended on touching a star.

     Bass raised an eyebrow and asked, looking at Scion out of the corn of his eye, "Why are we coming here?"

     "This is where I live." Scion answered as he closed the gap between the hover-truck and the mountain.

     When they reached the mountain, they were able to clearly see a cave with light coming from the inside of it. The hover-truck slowed to a stop just outside the mouth of it. 

     The group jumped from the vehicle, X and Protoman carrying Zero, who was still out cold.

     They entered the cave, all of them expecting everything except what they saw. It looked rather homey, what with the tidiness of all the mechanical items. Papers were stacked neatly on a makeshift desk and a metal shelf with a blanket and pillow sat in the corner.

     A lantern sat beside the doorway, its flickering flame casting its light upon the group's faces.

     Scion pointed to the makeshift bed and said, "You guys can put Zero there. It's not the most comfortable thing, but it's better then putting him on the ground."

     X nodded as he and Protoman set their friend on the 'bed' as he said, "Thank you for helping us."

     Scion grinned sheepishly. "No need to thank me. Anything to help someone who's against the Mavericks!"

     Bass glanced at Scion from the corner of his eye and frowned. Scion was hiding something, but what it was, was beyond him. He was snapped back to reality when he heard Izumi say, "So…how long will it be before Zero can move around on his own?"

     "Um…Well, considering his injuries, I'd say about a week, week and a half…" Scion said.

     Izumi nodded slowly. "Oh…"

     Treble sniffed the ground and all the surrounding items, his claws clicking softly against the solid stone of the floor. Scion nor Ultra Unit seemed to mind.

     Amy Rose sat beside Zero, her amber eyes filled with worry. Minmay climbed onto her lap and asked in her childish voice, "Is Zero-san going to be okay?"

     "Yeah…He's just sleeping right now, that's all." Scion spoke up before Amy Rose could answer. "Speaking of which, you should be in bed by now, kid." He picked her up and set her on the floor a few feet away from a small pile of sticks with stones surrounding them. He grabbed a sheet from his backpack and covered her up. "Night." He and Jake said.

     Minmay yawned and, rolling onto her side, drifted to sleep.

     Scion sat down and searched his pockets for a match. Ultra Unit walked over and simply aimed his shoulder cannon and fired a thin line of heat, setting the sticks ablaze. "Thanks." His master said.

     Everyone, minus Amy Rose, sat down around the fire, getting lost in they're own thoughts and worries. Bass mindlessly pet Treble as did Scion to Ultra Unit. X removed his helmet and ran his fingers through his spiked brown hair, letting out a soft sigh. Protoman removed his own, allowing everyone to see his face. He looked like Zero with his spiked blond hair and green eyes, which were usually hidden underneath the red helmet's visor that he wore constantly. 

     "Wow…you look like a short haired version of Zero…" Jake said, his voice filled with awe.

     "Yeah…anyways…I have a question for Scion." Protoman said.

     "Shoot."

     "What happened? Why are you half Reploid and half human?"

     Scion nodded and said, "Sure you wanna know?" Nods all around. "Alright, lets see…When I was three, a Maverick seriously injured me. I had a concussion, my legs were paralyzed, my lungs were near uselessness and my left arm was gone. Basically, I was a vegetable. But Dr. Sasuka managed to repair me by fixing my nervous system and replacing it with that of a Reploids'. She replaced my arm with that of a donated Maverick Hunter's and, well, did the same for my legs and lungs."

     "So, you're saying that you have DASH function and a Buster-Gun, or an Arm Cannon?" X asked.

     Scion nodded. "Yep."

     "Huh…" X looked thoughtful.

     Bass looked at Izumi, who was playing mindlessly with her hair. Her blue eyes were gazing into the fire, which cast flickers of orange light across her face. He suddenly realized that he was staring at her and that she was giving him a questioning look. He quickly stood and walked toward the entrance of the cave, hoping to hide the color that bloomed in his cheeks. 

     Amy Rose soon fell asleep, her head resting against Zero's hand. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

     Darkness. This was the total and utter blackness of a void of nothingness. Zero stood in the middle of this void, a spot light on him, and titanium ropes laying at his feet. Red ooze dripped from his fingertips, leaving small specks of red on the otherwise colorless floor.

     He looked at his hands, at the blood that coated them, his green eyes showing no emotion as he stared at the ruby red ooze. Lowering his hands, he asked himself, "What happened?"

     Suddenly, light filled the room, blinding the ex-Hunter for a moment. Blinking rapidly, he slowly lowered his arm from his face, slowly letting his eyes adjust. What he saw made him gasp in surprise. Mangled masses of Reploid corpses littered the area around him, Reploid blood spilling from open wounds or detached limbs. He backed up a step when he saw who the Reploids were. They were his new friends, along with the other Hunters, including X. His eyes widened as he thought, _Is this what I'll do? Is this what I'll do if I go Maverick again?_ He shuddered and whispered, an unfamiliar feeling of fear creeping up his spine, "Will I…destroy my friends?"

     He moaned in his sleep, shifting slowly. The sudden movement awoke Amy Rose, who looked at Zero and whispered, shaking his shoulder slowly, "Zero?"

     Zero's eyes fluttered open and locked onto Amy Rose's. He ignored the overwhelming feeling of happiness that washed over him, making his heart beat faster, and asked weakly, "Where…am I?"

     "Scion's place."

     "Scion?"

     "He repaired you. He's going to help us find out who framed you and X." 

     "…" Zero turned his head away from Amy Rose's and asked, his voice barely above a whisper, "What happened to me? Why can't I move?"

     His friend explained what had happened and what Scion had said about his loss of fluids preventing Zero's movements.

     _So, I was exposed…D***…_he thought, turning back to Amy Rose. His expression was unreadable.

     Amy Rose smiled slightly and said, leaning against the wall and closing her eyes, "I hope you get better soon…"

     _And I hope that I don't harm you if I go Maverick…_he thought as he, too, closed his eyes and drifted into an uneasy sleep, his dreams filled with images of death, blood and fear.


	8. The Mavericks of Tiaras City

Chapter 7:

The Mavericks of Tiaras City

     For the next week and a half, Scion and Ultra Unit ran Virus scans on Zero, and, if you'll excuse the pun, came up with a big fat zero.

     Zero stood and, after kicking and punching the air a couple of times, asked, "Where's my Z-Saber?"

     Ultra Unit walked over and dropped the gold bladeless handle at Zero's feet. "Here you go!" the robotic pooch said cheerfully as the ex-Hunter bent to retrieve the item.

     "Thanks."

     Once everyone was sure they had everything, they walked toward the hover-truck. Scion and Ultra Unit stopped and looked back at the place they had called home for over three years. They bid a fond farewell to their home and followed the group, who were waiting beside the truck.

     "You know, you don't have to come." X said softly when he saw the damp trails on Scion's cheeks.

     The Reploid/human smiled and said, hopping into the vehicle, "Nah. I want to help. Besides, it seems to me you guys will need someone who can repair you after a fight!"

     X nodded slowly as him and his friends climbed in.

----------Later----------

     After several hours, X tapped Scion on the shoulder and asked, "Where are we headed?"

     The lavender haired teen glanced at X from over his shoulder and said, "Tiaras City, it's an old place, but the food and the shops are still good. Very few people live there, and the ones who do are usually oldsters who wear tinfoil hats, 'to reflect alien death-rays' as they so calmly put it while several others ran past, clucking like chickens." He glanced at the rearview mirror and saw the sweat drops everyone had and quickly added, "Their nice. A bit loony, but nice nonetheless."

     Bass sighed and rested his chin on his palm as he stared out the open window. _This is gonna be fun…_he thought bitterly.

----------Meanwhile----------

     In Tiaras City, old Reploids walked hurriedly down the streets, their tinfoil hates gleaming in the midmorning sun. Two Reploids (both without tinfoil hates) sat outside of an old Olive Garden, their hooded cloaks hiding them from the harsh rays of the sun. 

     "Well?" The first cloaked one asked, raising his head to peer at his companion from under the black hood, his hazel eyes glowing softly.

     "Their on their way." The other said gruffly, his green eyes flashing red for an instant. His companion grinned underneath the hood.

     "Good. Now we can have some fun with 'um!" the hazel eyed one said gleefully before breaking out into a fit of evil laughter.

     The other remained serious and calm. "But they have some friends with them."

     The other ceased his laughing. "What?! More?!"

     "Yep. A Reploid/human, his robo-mutt, and two other Reploids Dr. Wily created back when he was alive. Not to mention the one's robo-wolf."

     The hazel eyes figure jumped to his feet so quickly that his chair flew out behind him, tripping a waiter. "WHAT?!" he shouted, slamming his hands down on the table so hard that it shuddered.

     His cohort nodded. "Yep. Bass, Treble, Protoman, Scion and Ultra Unit have teamed up with X and his little friends." he saw the table begin to crack with the pressure his friend was applying to it and said, "Um…Data? You can stop trying to crush the table now…"

     "D***…" Data spat through clutched teeth as he remembered Bass and Treble all too well.

     His hand instinctively touched his chest where a plasma shot had struck him several years after he had nearly killed Treble. "I'll kill him the instant I see that b***** of a Reploid!" he snarled, clutching his fists so tightly that his fingers left dents in his armored gloves. 

     He looked at his cohort, whose face was raised to look at his friend's blazing eyes.  "Dolton, I hope you're ready to tear something up, 'cause when we see them, we're attacking." Data said, laughing maniacally.

     Dolton sighed as he stood. "I swear…" he muttered, turning and leaving his friend to laugh evilly.

     _Just you wait, Bass…Your gonna get yours…and I will enjoy ripping you limb from limb!_ He thought as he laughed.

     He then noticed his colleague had walked off and quickly ran after him, tripping over his cloak several times. "Hey! Dolton! Wait up!!" he yelled, knocking the waiter who had tripped over the chair earlier onto the ground, the tray full of food in his hands landing on his head, knocking him out.

     Everybody around sweat dropped.

----------Later----------

     Scion pointed at a ruined city about two miles away. "There it is. Tiaras City. Not much to look at, but it works."

     Bass's dark brown eyes locked onto something standing atop one of the buildings, cloaks fluttering around them. They appeared to be watching them, this he could tell thanks to the power of his high-powered vision. _Um…I wonder…?_ He thought as the hover-truck entered the city.

----------later----------

     Bass stared at his food, every once in a while picking up a piece and nibbling on it mindlessly.

     "Um…Bass?" someone asked softly, making him jump.

     "Don't do that!" he snapped, glaring at the person who had spoke to him. It was Izumi.

     "I'm sorry, but you looked like you were worried and I wondered if I could help." She said, standing beside him. He looked at her from the corner of his eye and then to her friends, who were seated at another table.

     "I don't need your help. Now, go play with your friends." He said in a monotone voice.

     "…Alright…" She sounded crestfallen as she turned to walk away.

     Treble whined as Izumi sat down with her friends. Bass gave his friend a tired look. "Not now, Treb. I'm thinking right now. And no, she may not come over here to share whatever stupid advice she has."

     Treble whimpered and laid down, resting his purple and white head on his paws.

     Bass put his plate on the ground and said, "Eat up, boy." Treble looked up at his master, as if to make sure that he was certain. "I'm not hungry right now." Bass said, a small smile playing on his lips. With that final note, Treble dug in and soon finished the food. Bass sweat dropped.

     "Boy, _you_ must've been hungry! You ate that within two seconds!!" he said, standing.

     Treble panted and followed at his master's heels as the black-attired Reploid walked away from the others, who were chatting away.

----------Meanwhile----------

     Data and Dolton stood above Bass and Treble. Data smirked as he readied his Buster-Gun. 

     Dolton laid a hand on his friend's shoulder and said, shaking his head, "Hold on there, Mr. Gung-ho! Maybe we should wait a bit. I mean, his friends ARE right there."

     Data's Buster-Gun glowed and was replaced by his hand again. "Yeah, I guess your right…" he pouted.

     "Ah, quit your pouting so we can go get ready!"

     "But how are we gonna get Bass and his stupid mutt to come to us?" Data asked, crossing his arms.

     Dolton shrugged and pointed at the table with Bass' friends. "Simple; we take one of them and use 'im as bait."

     Data smirked and said, his hazel eyes flashing red, "I like that plan…but the problem is, which one…?"

     "How about…that one?"

     "Perfect…"

----------Meanwhile----------

     Bass and Treble walked into a machine shop and looked around, trying to avoid the people with the tinfoil hats and/or suits.

     Bass shuddered as he whispered to his partner, "These Reploids need to be SCRAPPED!" Treble nodded in agreement as a Reploid ran past, clucking like a chicken.

     Someone screamed and the sounds of plasma fire sliced through the windows and Reploids, Reploid fluid spilling onto the white tie floor, making Bass wrinkle his nose in disgust. 

     He grabbed Treble and ducked under a table, readying his F-Buster. "What the h*** is going on here?!" he yelled over the plasma fire. His only replies were Treble's growls and several screams, which were silenced by several spheres a plasma.

     Suddenly, the discharges ceased, followed by an eerie silence that made Bass tense. 

     He slowly crawled out from under the table and made his way toward the base of a shattered window, silently cursing as glass crunched underneath him.

     Treble crotched beside his master, ready to attack or run, depending on the command his master told acted on.

     The silence was broken by someone shouting, "Hey! Forte! OWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!!! The little b**** bit me!" the person yelped.

     "Just shoot her." another said.

     "No, 'cause we want Bass, not her!!" the first stuttered.

     "So?! We're Mavericks! We're not supposed to care WHO we kill!"

     "Kill?!" someone, a female, yelped.

     To Bass, these voices sounded familiar, and the female's defiantly rang some bells, but he couldn't place his finger on them. _Who are these guys?_ He thought, frowning.

     After several minutes of bickering, the first voice spoke up. "Bass! C'mon out now, or…um…" he paused and listened to his partner. "C'mon out or Izumi gets it!"

     Bass's eyes widened. _I-Izumi?!_ He thought, grinding his teeth. After a moment of pondering, he stood and said, his eyes locking with the first cloaked figure that had a Buster-Gun pointed at Izumi's head. The female Reploid looked scared out of her mind, which made Bass wonder where the others were. 

     The first cloaked figure raised his free hand and removed the cloak as he said, "I think you may remember me!" The black cloak fell to the ground, revealing a midnight blue Maverick with gray trimmings. His hazel brown eyes shone with anger and hatred, and all of it was directed at Bass, whose mouth fell open in surprise.

     "D-data?!" he yelped, taking a step back.

     "Yep. And now…" he charged up his Buster-Gun and pointed it at Bass, a smirk on his face. "You'll perish!" the jets at the bottom of his large metal boots ignited, giving Data an extra burst of speed.


	9. The Battle

**Authoress' Note:** WARNING! WARNING! Mushiness alert! Toward the end of this chapter, there's a bit o' romance!! An' it gonna be the last, I can assure you of THAT! 

Chapter 8:

The Battle

     Bass jumped out of the way of the charging foe, who let loose a stream of plasma at the black-attired Reploid, who somehow managed to avoid the rapid spheres of plasma.

     Bass jumped to the roof of a car, where he fired round after round of plasma at Data.

     He jumped out of the way of Data's Power-Charge and rolled into a standing position, his F-Buster locked onto his foe, who made a mad dash at him.

     Once again dodging, Bass fired his F-Buster while in midair. The sphere struck Data in the middle of the back, knocking him forward.

     Treble took this moment to attack and lunged, locking his teeth onto Data's shoulder and bit down, drawing Reploid fluid from the wound.

     Data, howling in rage and pain, managed to dislodge Treble from his shoulder and attack, his Buster-Gun aimed right at the robo-wolf's head.

     Bass, seeing his friend in danger, ran forward and tackled his enemy, who was too busy gloating to even notice the enraged Bass charge him.

     Bass and Data rolled on the ground, throwing punches at each other's faces. When Bass finally had the upper hand, he pointed his F-Buster at his opponent's head and said, "Time to say 'goodnight' for good…pal." 

     Dolton, seeing his friend in danger, pointed his left hand at Bass. His gray gauntlet glowed and was replaced with a Buster-Gun. 

     Izumi, panicking, kicked her captor in the shines, making him lower his weapon to get her under control, which didn't work. Izumi managed to wiggle free and started to power up her special attack.

     Once her opponent looked up, she ran forward and punched him in the jaw, her hand glowing brightly as she shouted, "Dragon Uppercut!"

     Dolton sailed backwards and into a building, creating a fairly large hole in the side of it. Izumi turned her attention back to Bass, and suddenly wished she hadn't. Reploid fluids and bits of what was head lay around her friend.

     She looked sick and quickly turned away. 

     Bass stood and wiped red Reploid fluid off his black armor and said, looking down at the mangled mess, "You shouldn't have messed with Treble OR Izumi."

     He looked up and was ready to start pummeling Dolton with plasma, but stopped and gaped. Dolton was laying in a pile of ruble several feet away and Izumi was standing a few yards away, looking quite sick.

     He walked over and asked, Treble joining them, "Are you…okay?"

     "…I feel sick…" she mumbled, holding her stomach.

     "Is it a virus?"

     "No…I just…get sick when I see…blood…" she shuddered. 

     Just then, X and the others ran over. Scion looked at Izumi and asked, "What happened?! Are you alright?!"

     Izumi nodded. "Yeah…thanks to Bass and Treble…"

     Everyone looked at Bass, who blushed brightly and said, quickly turning away from everyone, "Its not like I had a choice in the matter!!! They attacked Treble!"

     "Uh huh…" everyone said in union, their tones heavy with skepticism.

     "Its true!" he yelled, turning around to glare at everyone.

     Amy Rose crossed her arms and said, "Yeah…whatever you say. Anyways…who are these guys?"

     Zero looked at what was left of Data and corrected, "Um…make that, 'Who is this guy'…the other one is totally mangled."

     Bass smirked. "Hey, you mess with my dog, you get dismantled."

     Scion nodded, but looked a little sick at the sight of the blood, but looked much better off then Izumi did. "Yeah…I know what you mean…but still…did it have to be his head?"

     "Hey, what'd you want me to do, say, 'Oh, by the way, please stand over there so that I can shoot you in the chest and not spread your brains all over the street'? Jeez la-wheeze! Did your creator, by any chance, remove some brain-chips?!" Bass snapped, attacking Scion with dry sarcasm and biting remarks.

     Scion flinched and said softly, looking depressed, "No…its just…we might've been able to get some information out of him if I repaired him…"

     Bass huffed and stalked off, Treble following loyally at his heels.

     Izumi ran after them, leaving her friends in the dust. 

     Amy Rose looked up at Zero and asked, "Should we follow them?" Zero shook his head. 

     "Nah. Let 'um talk for a while. Hey, who knows? She might get Bass to stop being such a loner." He said, shrugging.

----------Ten minutes later----------

     "Hey! Bass! Wait up!" Izumi yelled, struggling to catch up to Bass.

     Bass stopped and looked back at her, a look of confusion on his face. "What?" he yelled back.

     Izumi stopped a few feet away from him and put her hands on her knees as she struggled to catch her breath. Once she had caught her breath, she straitened and said, "Thanks for saving me."

     "It was nothing. Really. Besides," He looked at her over his shoulder and smirked. "Someone has to look out for someone like you."

     "What's that mean?" the redhead asked.

     "What I mean is, someone who's too nice for their own good." Bass said, rolling his eyes.

     Izumi bristled. "I'm not a kid who can't tell weather or not someone's evil! I'm—"

     "A _Reploid_ who can't tell weather or not someone's evil." He said, turning to face her. She opened her mouth to retort, but closed it again because she couldn't think of anything. Bass chuckled. "You know I'm right, don't you?" No answer. "Thought so. Now, if you don't mind, I've gonna go."

     Izumi looked crestfallen as Bass turned and walked off, Treble following. "But…I want you to stay and help us…" she said softly, tears blurring her vision.

     Bass stopped and turned to face her. Her head was bowed and she looked small and fragile. That's when he noticed the wet drops of water rolling down her pale cheeks. 

     A look of confusion crossed his face as he neared her. He had never seen tears before and was now wondering if she was malfunctioning. 

     "What's…wrong?" he questioned as he stopped before her.

     Izumi raised a hand to wipe her tears away as she said, "N-nothing…" suddenly, someone's fingertips brushed against her cheek, wiping away the tears she had missed. She looked up in surprise. Bass was staring at her, his expression one of utter bewilderment. 

     "What are…?" he started.

     "Their called…tears…they form when someone is sad…" she said.

     Bass nodded slowly and asked, "Why are you sad?"

     "Because…your leaving…" she whispered, blushing.

     Bass couldn't help but blush as well. "Oh…" was all he could say. Izumi smiled slightly.

     "Well…I guess you should be going…huh?" she sounded disappointed.

     "…Maybe I will, and maybe I won't…"

     "Huh?"

     "I said, maybe I will…" he gave her a lopsided grin and said, leaning close to her, " Or maybe I won't." their noses were almost touching and their lips were centimeters apart.

     "Um…which…is it?" she asked softly, her eyes locked onto his.

     Bass leaned forward more, his lips brushing gently against Izumi's. He pulled back a bit and said, giving her another lopsided grin, "Which do you think?"


	10. Brother-to-Brother Talk

**Authoress' Note:** This chapter is my version of Zero and Proto's past, so, just remember; this just works for the story. This is NOT his real past. Although some of it is, you guys just have to sort out which are my own ideas and what is CAPCOM's! 

Chapter 9:

Brother-to-Brother Talk

     Protoman sat outside the hover-truck, the stars and moon glowing brightly. His helmet sat beside him, letting the wind ruffle his short blond hair, stinging his green eyes. He let out a soft sigh as he mumbled, laying down with his hands behind his head, "I wonder what'll happen next…"

     "Hey, bro." Someone said, making Protoman sit up quickly to look around. He caught sight of a familiar blond sitting down beside him. 

     "Bro…What's up? Couldn't sleep either?" he asked, looking at his little brother (although Zero is quite a bit taller then he was) out of the corner of his eye.

     "Yeah…so…what's up?" Zero asked, taking off his own helmet and setting it beside him.

     "Nothing much. Just wondering what'll happen next." His brother said, shrugging.

     "What'd you mean?"

     "What I mean is, we've met up with a Maverick who would've roasted you if it hadn't been for Scion, two of Bass's old enemies…what'll we fight next? One of my enemies? Or one of yours? I'd hate to see the kind of people _you've_ offended!"

     "Sometimes I wish _I_ hadn't even met them!" Zero and Protoman laughed softly.

     For a moment, they were at ease, but then it faded to the deathly calm silence that it was before Zero had got there. 

     "Rumors always said that you had brown hair and brown eyes…what happened?" Zero asked after several minutes.

     "Well, I was originally a burnet, but for some reason…Doc Wily thought it'd be better if I looked something like you…Maybe so that you'd believe I was your brother or something…I dunno…My opinion is that Doc Wily was gettin' on in his years and was just a little senile…"

     "A little?!" Zero asked, smiling slightly.

     "Okay, a little is an understatement." Protoman chuckled, his green eyes flashing with amusement. "Look, little brother—" 

     "Don't call me that. 'Bro' will do nicely." His brother said.

     "Alright, alright. Look, _bro_, I'm just a little worried about what'll happen next. I mean, we almost lost you in that first fight, then we almost lost Izumi in that last one…I'm just wondering when our luck'll run out…and if we'll be able to do anything about it once it does."

     "Back to being serious, huh? Look, for now, lets just talk like brothers and forget about tomorrow. Whatever happens, happens. Don't worry about it." Zero said.

     "Yeah, well…being serious and worried can also be a lifesaver, I should know. My worrying has saved yours and my a**es from the frying pan more times then I care to remember. And I don't see why this time should be any different." His brother stated, leaning back against the hover-truck with his hands behind his head.

     "…Maybe your right…But still, lets just talk for a bit. Like, what was Tokyo like before you were sealed in that capsule?"

     "Well, it was big and had lots of stores and restaurants. Kids playing soccer and 'kick the smallest kid'…never could see what those kids saw in that game…anyways, it didn't look anything like it does now. And there weren't any Reploids back then. Only you, X, Megaman, Roll, Bass and myself…and even then, you two weren't activated yet, so I guess you guys don't even count." Protoman said, shrugging. "Wait, I take that back. You were activated then, but you were really nothing more then a kid, just wanting to go play soccer…

     When Doc Wily wouldn't let you, you'd throw a tantrum worse then a tornado does. Believe me, I know. I was hit more then once by that d*** bookcase…"

     "I hit you with a BOOKCASE?! Why don't I remember any of this?" Zero asked.

     "Well, Doc Wily thought that it'd hamper your ability to kill and maim, so he erased every memory you ever had of me, your friends, how much you loved humans, everything. I felt like ripping Wily's gut out when I heard what he'd done to you. I almost shot him. I was this close to shooting that b****** in the head…" he held his thumb and index finger about a centimeter away from each other. "But Cutsman managed to talk some sense into me. Amazing, ain't it? That nimrod Cutsman saved my titanium a**…"

     Zero was silent, just watching his brother's face, which had a sad smile on it. A tear rolled down his cheek as he continued. 

     "…I just wish that you had those memories of me trying to teach you how to fight and you almost cutting my arm off with that god-forsaken Z-Saber. I swear, I had to get repaired more then once trying to teach you how to use that d*** thing…And I'll never forget the time Snakeman gave you that pet rattler for Christmas…I fainted whenever you brought that stupid thing near me…I never knew I had such strong disliking to snakes before that…and to think I worked with one!" With this comment, he smiled and chuckled at the memories. 

     "Anyways…lets see…what else? Oh yeah, there was the time you somehow wound up at the top of Skull Fortress. You just about gave me, Cutsman and Snakeman a heart-attack when you reached for that cat that had gotten stuck up there. I can't remember if you fell or not, all I remember is seeing you on top of Skull Fortress, me, Cutsman and Snakeman screaming, then me blacking out. I heard later on that I had fainted from sheer terror and that you had poked me at least two hundred times with a stick when you got down."

     Zero smiled and said, "Heh…I did all that, huh? It seems to me I was just a major pain in the a**."

     "That you were. But you were my major pain in the a** brother and I made it a rule that no one except myself were aloud to pick on you." The two brothers chuckled. 

     "Sheesh…I can't believe that _you_ didn't go nuts trying to keep me in line!" Zero stated, grinning.

     "Yeah, I know."

     "So…what happened when you woke up and found everyone…?"

     "Well, I was more then a bit shocked when I saw everyone laying there, there and there…" he pointed in every direction. "And I was even more shocked when I found Wily, or what was left of him anyway, in the main room. 

     Even though I was wondering what had happened, I was still very, VERY happy that the old geezer had suffered. Painfully. Anyways…Then I got to wondering what year it was and if Bass and Treble were still in one piece. Once I had given the place a quick look over, I went outside to find you, Megaman, Bass, anybody I knew…but all I found was Tokyo rebuilt and Reploids and humans wandering the streets.

     I had also heard stories of Maverick Hunters and that's when I got really worried. I was frantic in my search to find you and to knock some sense into you before those Hunters found you. I soon heard about a famous class 'A' hunter named Zero and my first thought was, 'Thank the heavens! I don't have to worry about him anymore!'. Then the space colony Eurasia hit and wiping out half the planet…I felt like my heart was being ripped out while it was still beating when I found out that my little brother was gone, killed by somebody named Sigma. 

     After that, I got my Proto-Buster repaired and my armor replaced with titanium-x armor and went out to find him. I wandered for a month, finding only some zealous Mavericks who were stupid enough to attack me. Then I found you and your new friends…you can't imagine my joy when I saw you. But then I remembered that you wouldn't remember me and wondered if even talking to you was a good idea. I mean, Wily _did_ train you to be a killing machine. And you know the rest."

     Zero nodded slowly. "…So…you were worried about me enough to go and hunt Sigma down yourself? Why?"

     Protoman shrugged. "Because, I'm your big brother and I'm supposed to look out for you. I know you've grown up quite a bit, but you gotta remember, I panicked when I found out that you had a pet snake. I was always scared that that d*** thing would bite you!"

     "But…I'm a Reploid…how could I get poisoned?"

     "Because, sometimes, you just acted so human that I was beginning to believe that you were just that. A human. A human child playing with something dangerous. But Snakeman kept reminding me that you were a Reploid and that poison didn't work on you, so I think he saved my sanity for a while there. Then I found out that Wily wanted me to teach you how to fight. I was always worried that you'd cut your arm off with that Z-Saber. And I was also worried that you'd aim your Z-Buster wrong and blast me, which happened to me at least ten times in one week."

     Zero laughed. "I actually shot you?!" he asked, grinning.

     Protoman nodded, also smirking. "Yep."

     The two brothers then fell into a deep silence that was broken by Protoman as he stood and put his helmet back on. "Well, I guess its time to get to bed. Night, bro."

     "G'night, Protoman. Oh, and, bro?" Protoman stopped and looked back at his brother. "Cut back on the worrying. It's not good for your health." The gray and red Reploid grinned.

     "Heh. Well, YOU aren't either, Mr. I'll-Climb-on-the-roof-and-give-my-brother-a-heart-attack!" Zero and Protoman laughed. 

     Before his brother got into the truck, Zero asked, "One more thing. About what you said about Wily surviving…"

     "Oh that? I was just pulling your leg. Just to see if you even knew who he was." Protoman said, grinning at his brother's annoyed expression.

     The two laughed before climbing back into the truck to catch up the sleep that they had been lacking since they had started out on this crazy adventure.

     X opened one eye as Protoman climbed into the front seat and Zero climbed into the back seat next to Amy Rose.

     As soon as Protoman was asleep, X said softly, "I heard you guys talking. I'm sorry about you losing your memory."

     Zero looked at his friend and said equally as soft, "Thanks. Hey, maybe you could talk with Protoman and I one night. Who knows, he might know something about you and why you were created!"

     Bass suddenly grumbled, opening one eye slightly, "And if you two don't shut up and let me get some sleep, your both gonna need Scion to repair your mouths, which I will personally bolt shut!"

     "…"

     "Good. Now go to sleep before I knock you both out." Bass closed his eye and drifted back to sleep.

     "…Night." The two Maverick Hunters whispered in union before going to sleep.


	11. Going Maverick

Part 2

Chapter 10:

Going Maverick

     The next day started out like any other day for our heroes. They woke up, ate, argued with Bass about who got to sit where, drove around for a bit, trashed a couple of Mavericks and drove around some more.

     Jake looked at Scion and asked, "Where are we going?"

     Scion glanced over at Jake and said, "We're going to the ruins of Skull Fortress. I figured we might be able to get some leads there as to what's going on. That last mavericks was the tenth in one day and it's kinda got me on edge."

     "Wow. Mr. Calm is getting worried about something." Bass said sarcastically from the backseat. 

     Minmay glared at Bass and squeaked, "You leave Mr. Scion alone! He repaired you and he didn't have too!"

     "That's because he's a stupid idiot. He's worse then Mr. Justice here!" Bass cocked a thumb at X, who looked embarrassed.

     Zero's turn to glare. "Hey, leave my friend out of your little rant-fest, 'kay?"

     Bass smirked. "Oh yeah? How 'bout I pick on the girl?" he pointed at Amy Rose, who was snoring softly beside Zero. 

     "You do, I'll rip your guts out!"

     Protoman, who was sitting in the middle of all this, finally said loudly, "Enough!"

     "…"

     "Good! Now, Bass, leave everyone alone. Zero, leave Bass alone. X, just help me keep these two," he cocked a thumb at Bass and Zero. "In line!"

     X nodded. "Sure thing."

     Izumi sighed. If Bass and Zero didn't stop fighting, her sanity would go flying out the window!! 

     Amy Rose stirred and mumbled tiredly, "What's all the noise about?"

     Zero looked at his friend and smiled warmly. "Nothing. Go back to sleep." His friend quickly complied and was soon snoozing softly, her head resting on his shoulder. He blushed when he noticed his friends smirks. "WHAT?!"

     X chuckled and said, covering his mouth, "N-nothing…*chuckle*"

     Zero glared at the others, who quickly turned their attention away from him. He heard Jake and Protoman chuckling and snapped, "Shut up!"

     "Sorry, bro." Proto said, shooting his brother a grin. 

----------Later----------

     Zero stood in the middle of a black void. He looked around and whipped around when laughter erupted from behind him. "Whose there?!" he yelled, getting into a fighting stance.

     The laughter ended and it said in an amused tone, "The answer is quite simple, Zero." The voice's voice dripped with hatred and anger when he said the ex-Hunter's name.

     A bright light flashed, making Zero shield his eyes from the sudden brightness. When the light faded, he lowered his arm and stumbled back in surprise. It was himself.

     "Wha-what's going on?!" he yelped, his eyes going wide.

     The other Zero laughed harshly and said, his emerald green eyes flashing, "You know what's going on, killer."

     Zero shook his head and snapped, "What's that mean?!"

     "I mean, you'll kill your friends. And enjoy it." The other Zero's amused smirk broadened when his other self's eyes widened in fear.

     "No! That's not true! I would NEVER hurt them!" Zero sputtered, taking a step back.

     "Oh, yes you would. You'll enjoy hearing their screams and pleas for mercy. You'll take pleasure in ripping their still pulsing energy cores from their chests and coating your saber in their blood. Oh, Zero. My dear, dear Zero. You _will_ because it is your _nature_. Your only meaning in life." With each word, Zero seemed to shrink back, a look of terror on his face.

     The other Zero smiled evilly as his other stuttered, "You're…lying…I would never…_never_ harm them…"

     "So you say. Well, I guess this is the only way to make you give into your desire to destroy the humans and the Maverick Hunters." Zero looked up from the floor just as a purple flame appeared in his other's hand. He recoiled in trepidation as his other neared him.

     Suddenly, he bumped into something. He turned and saw a titanium wall. He whipped around and came face to face with his evil self. He soon realized he was pleading, doing everything except dropping to his knees and begging, for his ego was just too vast. "Please…don't…" he found himself whimpering, tears welling in his eyes as he came to grips of what he would do.

     His other smiled and said, shrugging, "Sorry. But, it's your job. You know that's what you were created for. Just give into it. Trust me; you'll like so much that you'll never want to turn back." It was the last sentence that scared Zero, who had tears streaming down his pale cheeks.

     Dark Zero huffed, his eyes narrowing as he looked down his nose at his other, who was struggling to cease the tears which flowed freely from his emerald green eyes. "Weakling…Well, this ought to toughen you up a bit." With that said, the hand that was clutching the ball of heliotrope flame shot forward. He's hand hit his other's forehead, the flame vaporizing into the energy crystal on his other's helmet.

     He stepped back, a satisfied smirk on his face as a searing pain shot through Zero's head. 

     Zero screamed in agony and clutched his head. He fell to his knees and screamed. "No! No! I…won't do it! I won't kill them! I can't!" he wailed, tears streaming down his cheeks as images of his friends dieing at his own hands filled his head.

     He fell forward, convulsing as his face twisted in pain. Another scream escaped his lips as another bolt of pain shot through his body before he finally ceased movement. 

     For several moments, all was silent. Then, Zero slowly stood and calmly dusted himself off as though nothing had happened. His evil other grinned and said, "Glad to see you finally gave in."

     Zero raised his head to face his other, his eyes glowing dimly with dark energy. A smirk slowly crossed his face as he replied, "It feels good to be back…" 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

     Zero's eyes slowly opened and he sat up. He looked around and realized that he was laying outside of the hover-truck. The stars shone brightly above him, as did the moon, whose silver-white light played softly against his soft features.  

     "Well, lookie here! My brother decides to join the world of the living." Someone said sarcastically. He looked and saw Proto was sitting beside him, his helmet still sitting snugly on his head.

     Zero stood without a word and looked down at his brother, who looked a little perplexed. After a moment, he reached for his Z-Saber and said, his eyes flashing with the sickness of the Maverick Virus, "Time to die…_brother_."

     He brought the deadly plasma saber down toward Proto's head. The red and gray Reploid yelped in surprise and rolled out of the way, jumping to his feet and grabbing his five-foot tall shield from its resting place beside the hover-truck.

     He held it firmly between himself and his crazed brother as he shouted, alarming everyone in the hover-truck as of what was going on, "What the h*** do you think your doing?!"

     "My job." Zero spat, activating his DASH boots and charging his brother, who jumped out of the way just before he struck the smaller Reploid down with his sharpened Beam Saber.

     The rest of the group jumped from the vehicle and gapped at the sight. Amy Rose took a step forward and stuttered, "Z-Zero?"

     Zero stiffened when he heard her voice and he looked at her, life returning to his eyes for a brief moment, only to be replaced by the cold emotionless glow of the virus.

     Scion looked baffled. "I don't get it! I ran at least ten virus checks on him and the rest of you guys after every fight! How could he have gone Maverick?!"

     Zero smirked at Scion and said, "Simple; I _am_ the virus, you dolt."


	12. Gone

Chapter 11:

Gone

     "What?!" everyone gasped, they're eyes widening in astonishment.

     X stepped forward beside Amy Rose and asked, "You mean…You…you're the Sigma Virus?"

     Proto, in a state of denial, stuttered, almost dropping his shield, "N-no…h-he's the v-virus?"

     Zero shot his brother a grin and attacked again, his plasma sword sending sparks flying as it connected with his brother's titanium-X shield. 

     Proto slid back a few inches as he put all his weight against the sword, clenching his teeth tightly. "B-bro! S-stop this!" he managed to say, sliding back a few more inches.

     "Why? You do what you have to to survive, what is so different about me trying to as well?"

     "You don't get it! Your…gonna kill everyone! If you…don't think of…X and the others, think…about Amy Rose!" This made Zero pause to glance back at Amy Rose, who looked panicked.

     This second of distraction was all his needed. Proto charged his Proto-Buster and fired, fighting tears as he whispered, "Sorry, bro…"

     Zero flew backwards a few feet, landing flat on his back. Reploid fluid flowed from the open wound. Proto dropped to his knees, his legs unable to support him. He looked at his Proto-Buster and whimpered, clutching his fist, "D***it…"

     Amy Rose and X dashed to their friend's side, Scion and Ultra Unit rushing back to the truck to get the tool kit and titanium-x sheets.

     X remembered the feeling that overwhelmed him all too well, for it had besieged him more then once. It was the feeling of loss and fear. He started to say something, but was cut short when he was shot in the chest by Zero's Z-Buster. He flew back and into Scion and Ultra Unit, knocking them to the ground.

     Bass ran forward, followed by Treble. He started to fire his F-Buster, but stopped.

     Amy Rose yelped in surprise when Zero grabbed her and shouted, "Now!" A beam of red light engulfed them, taking them away from the group. 

     Bass cursed and shouted, grabbing Scion by the front of his shirt, "What the h*** just happened?!"

     Scion struggled in the enraged Reploid's grip as he choked out, "I…dunno!"

     Bass released Scion when he heard Izumi whimper, "My sister's…been kidnapped by Zero…" 

     He ran over and knelt before her, laying a hand gently on her shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll get her back. And I have a feeling I know where he took her, too…" He stood and led the way back to the hover-truck, everyone following him hurriedly.

     Scion let Bass drive so that he could repair X, who was injured quite a bit.


	13. blank




	14. The Duel of Wills

Chapter 12:

The Duel of Wills

     When Amy Rose opened her eyes, she saw nothing but a black void. At first, she thought she was retired in the middle of nowhere and by her own friend! 

     Suddenly, she saw someone leaning over her. Her vision was blurred and it was hard to make out who it was, but after blinking several times, she was able to tell that the person leaning over her was Zero.

     She sat up and asked, looking up at the Maverick, "What happened to you? Why have you gone Maverick?"

     Zero's expression was unreadable as he said, "Because; I missed my old friends." It was at this moment that she saw that they were surrounded by Mavericks. She jumped to her feet, only to slump back to the ground. 

     Zero caught her before she could hurt herself and said, smirking slightly, "Heh. Don't worry, Rose. Soon you won't fear these Reploids…"

     Amy Rose felt panic well inside of her when he said this. "W-why?" she stuttered, frightened of the answer.

     "Because, you'll be one of us." He said, his smirk widening.

     _This is bad…_she thought.

     Zero looked up at the approaching Maverick and said, "Sigma…nice to see you again." Amy Rose's eyes widened in fear as the cloaked figure neared them. She struggled in Zero's grip, but it didn't work. He simply tightened his grip on her, holding her in place as Sigma stopped before them.

     "Nice to see you as well, Zero…" Sigma grumbled.

     _Scratch that. This is REALLY bad…_

----------Meanwhile----------

     "SLLLLLOOOOOWWWWWWWW DDDDDOOOOOWWWWWNNNNNN!" Scion, X and Ultra Unit screamed as Bass floored the gas pedal. The three flew back and slammed into the back of the trunk, dazing them for a moment.

     Bass didn't seem to hear them as the remains of Skull Fortress neared. Inside, everybody else was also screaming for the reckless driver to slow down before they got killed.

     Treble covered his ears as he crouched on the floor, howling in terror along with everybody else. 

     It was almost nine by time Skull Fortress came into view, and everyone screaming was getting on Bass's nerves.

     He glared at everyone through the rearview mirror and snapped, stepping on the breaks, "Shut up! We're here in one piece, aren't we?!" Everybody slammed into the back of the driver's seat, landing in a pile. X, Scion and Ultra Unit were piled outside the back window, their eyes turning into little spirals.

     "Barely!" Protoman shot back, feeling rather annoyed at having everyone piling on top of him and his ears were ringing, for everyone had been screaming in them.

     "Shut up! At least we're here!"

     "Should I be thankful for you just about giving everyone here a heart-attack?!"    

     "Do you have a death wish?! 'Cause I'll be more then happy to shoot your voice box out!" 

     "WILL YOU BOTH SHUT UP!" X shouted over Protoman and Bass's screaming match.

     "Not in my ear!" Scion whined, covering his ears.

     "Oops. Sorry."

----------Meanwhile----------

     Amy Rose glared daggers at Sigma as he and Zero stood outside the cage they were forced to put her in after she retired three Mavericks.

     Sigma chuckled. "She's a fighter…could be useful…"

     "Ya got that right, Sig…" Zero said, also chuckling.

     Amy Rose stood and kicked the cage doors, denting them. "Let me out now or I'll fry your titanium a**es!!!" she shouted, kicking the bars a couple more times.

     Sigma, getting annoyed, hit her with a stun beam, knocking her to the ground with a cry. Zero felt something inside of him twist with fury. A confused look crossed his face.

     "What is wrong?" a Maverick, Duke Dragon, asked, his ruby red eyes locked on the small of Zero's back, for the crimson Reploid was much taller then he was.

     "…" Zero studied Amy Rose, who was glaring up at Sigma through the bars, her amber eyes shining with hatred and every once in a while she would give Zero a look of betrayal, then go back to glaring at Sigma. "Nothing…"

     He turned on his heel and walked off. He stopped when he heard Amy Rose yelp as several Mavericks gathered around the small cage to snicker and sneer at the female Reploid. 

     _She's like a caged animal…_he thought, continuing to walk, trying to figure out what it was that he had felt when Sigma had stunned her. 

----------Meanwhile----------

     Protoman inspected the ruined doors to Skull Fortress and said, motioning for everyone to get back, "Okay, this could get a little messy…" his left hand turned into his Proto-Buster as he fired. After he had fired several spheres of plasma at it, he walked over and knocked on the door. It fell in, dust flying up as soon as it hit the ground.

     He then motioned for everyone to follow as he walked in. As soon as his foot touched the stone floor, alarms blared loudly, startling everyone with its high-pitched whine.

     With Protoman's word, the group ran down the long hall, dodging lasers that seemed to come from nowhere. 

     "Quickly! In the vents! Wily never did remember to put guns in these things!" Bass shouted over the noise, pointing to a ventilation shaft above them. 

     After several attempts, they were finally in the vents and crawling forward, their weapons ready for use.

----------Meanwhile----------

     Zero stood outside of Amy Rose's cage. She didn't look the least bit happy to see him and for a moment he was worried she might try to attack him, which would've meant certain death for the female Reploid. 

     He knelt in front of it and said, "Sigma isn't the least bit happy with you."

     "Am I supposed to care?" she asked hotly, glaring at him.

     "I suppose not, but you should at least try to act like you do."

     "And why do you care?"

     This question took Zero off guard, even though he knew he should've been expecting it. "Well…um…err…"

     "Forget it. Why don't you just go and kill some Replods? You Mavericks seem to enjoy the sounds of those poor peoples screams." Zero snapped here.

     He reached into the cage and grabbed her wrist roughly, not caring that his fingers were wrapped so tightly around her slender wrist that it began to bleed, and pulled her into the cage wall. 

     He held her arm outside of the cage, keeping her from pulling away. "And if you don't just sit down and be a nice little Reploid, I'll have to pleasure myself by hearing YOU scream. And, believe me, the pain you will feel will be so unbearable that you will _beg_ me to kill you and be done with your pathetic life, is that clear?"

     His emerald green eyes locked onto her amber ones, seeing pain shining in them. He knew she was unwilling to give him the pleasure of hearing her beg or cry out. So, just prompting a bit more satisfactory result, he twisted her arm back against the bars, feeling her shoulder begin to dislocate.

     She clutched her teeth, fighting back a scream. She struggled to push Zero away with her free hand, but only succeeded in annoying him. And annoying him meant that he applied more pressure to her arm.

     Zero stared at her, seeing her fighting the urge to scream and plead with him to let her go. He smirked at her pain and released her arm, making her fall backwards.

     Her arm throbbed and her wrist was bleeding like mad. Within seconds, a rather large puddle of Reploid fluids gathered around her hand.

     She sat up and tried to stop the bleeding with her shirt, but it kept flowing. Something inside of Zero's mind screamed at him to stop smirking and to help her, making him wonder, _what was that?_ So, opening the door, he knelt and wrapped her arm sloppily in a piece of the thin sheet that was used as a blanket.

----------Later----------

     Zero lay in his sleeping capsule, his lips parted slightly.

     Voices whispered in his head, making his close his eyes tighter and clutch his fists.

     _Murderer_…one hissed.

     _Sadistic tormenter…_another hissed.

     _You'll kill them…and enjoy it…_a third murmured.

     "No…" Zero mumbled, turning his head to the left.

     _You'll kill her…you'll kill her soul and fed her to the virus…_a fourth mocked.

     "No…I won't…"

     _You already condemned her soul to this pit of h*** and you know it! Her spirit will be crushed, slowly and you will enjoy seeing her suffer!_ The first laughed.

     "I could never…"

     _But you already have! You saw her pitiful face! Her eyes screamed, "Traitor!"_

_     Traitor!_ The others chorused.

     "It…isn't my fault…" Zero groaned.

     He saw X standing before him, a sad look on his face as tears streamed down his face. _"Zero…How could you?"_ the young Reploid sobbed, turning his back to the crimson ex-Hunter.

     "X…it's the virus…it's driving me insane…please…you must…believe me…"

     X then faded and was replaced by Scion and Ultra Unit. The calm Reploid/human shook his head sadly and said, _"Zero…you gotta get a grip on yourself! If you keep going on like this…you'll kill everyone and everything that ever meant anything to you! Think of X! Think Amy Rose! Think of your brother! Think of everyone who you've ever cared about!"_

      "I…I've tried…but…the virus is…so…strong…" Zero moaned.

     _"Your stronger! You can do it!"_ X said, appearing again behind Scion and Ultra Unit, who barked. The others appeared around them, joining in on the chorus of the encouraging cheering.

     Zero clutched his fists and grinded his teeth as the virus struggled to regain control of his mind, which had cleared when X and the others stood before him, cheering him on. Even Bass's annoying smirk seemed to tell him that he could do it.

     Pain sliced through his head, making Zero cry out in his sleep. The capsule door opened and Zero tumbled forward, clutching his head between his hands.

     All he wanted to do was slip into blissful unconscious, succumb to the dark power that beckoned to him with its hypnotizing voice, which mingled with those of his, which was struggling to keep from succumbing to sickness.

     "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" he screamed, sinking to his knees and clutching his head in agony.

----------Meanwhile----------

     "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" someone screamed from below Protoman and the rest. They stopped as Bass and Protoman peered through the grate. They saw Zero on his knees, clutching his head and screaming.

     Protoman, unable to control himself, punched the grate open and jumped down, landing neatly beside his brother, who was shaking with pain.

     Bass cursed and jumped in after their fearless leader, waiting to catch the others as they came down. Although he was half considering just letting Scion fall to his doom. But one glare from Izumi was enough to erase the thought from his mind.

     Protoman shook his brother's shoulders gently and said, "Bro. Bro! Snap out of it! Its okay! We're here now!!"

     Zero stopped shaking and looked up at Protoman, his eyes pleading with his brother's. "P-please…I-I can't control the…virus…"

     X ran over and said, "Don't worry! We're here to help you get through this! Remember? We're best friends and friends don't let friends down. We're here for you!"

     "Yeah!" everybody except Bass chorused. 

     Bass simply asked, "Where's Amy Rose?"

     At the mention of her name, Zero jumped to his feet and shouted, ignoring the pain in his head, "Oh no! Sigma's gonna infect her with the virus!! I gotta stop him!!" 

     With that, he ran over, grabbed up his Z-Saber and bolted out the door, knocking Mavericks over.

     X and the other followed, blasting and crushing Mavericks as they ran after their friend.


	15. The Final Battle...

Chapter 13:

The Final Battle…

     They reached a set of stairs and X huffed, putting his hands on his knees to catch his breath, "Where…do we have to…go?"

     Zero looked around at the two doors that stood on both sides of them, then to the stairs. He cursed. "D***! I can't remember what room she was in!"

     Bass whistled. "Hey, palies. This it?"

     Zero ran over and looked in the room Bass was peering into. Amy Rose was standing several yards away from Sigma, her long handled hammer in her hands. "Die, evil b*****!!!" she yelled, DASHing forward and raising the mallet over her head.

     Zero, seeing the laser in Sigma's hand begin to charge up, activated his DASH boots and managed to tackle his friend out of the way just as the plasma from Sigma's hand shot out.

     Zero jumped to his feet and drew his Z-Saber as the others joined him. "Sigma, this time, it ends…" he said, his eyes flashing.

     "So, you overcame the virus, eh? Well, no matter. Die!" Sigma glowed and began to transform.

     Amy Rose stood and said, "This…isn't good…"

     Scion took a step back, his blue eyes wide. "Wha-what the h*** happened to him?!"

     Bass's left hand turned into his F-Buster as he said, "Never mind that, lets just fry this titanium jacka***!"

     Zero nodded, a small smirk on his face. "For once, we agree on something!"

     Sigma laughed as his body began to morph into that of a six-headed serpent.

     "Hahaha! You won't beat me _this_ time!" Sigma laughed.

     X charged up his X-Buster as he snapped, "You say that every time we fight and we always win!!"

     Jake nodded and started to glow bright red.

     Minmay started to charge up her attack, but Izumi stopped her and said, "Go hide."

     "But…"

     "No 'buts'! Just go!" the kid Reploid nodded quickly and ran. Izumi then turned her attention back to Sigma.

     Zero, Protoman, Bass and X ran forward, their weapons ready as they activated their DASH boots.

     Protoman jumped into the air, his Proto-Buster pointed at the third head. "Astala bye-bye!" he shouted, firing several charged shots at it's hideous face. The head shattered and landed in a heap. Protoman landed and said, "That was a bit too easy…"

     X DASHed to the side and fired several rounds at the second one. That one as well turned to ruble. "I don't like this…" he mumbled, attacking the next one.

     Zero and Bass both charged the far right and far left heads, their weapons destroying the two heads within seconds.

     "…I have a feeling we're getting to the hard part already…" Zero said, attacking again.

     Jake whistled and said, oblivious to the problem, "Wow! Those guys are good!!"

     Scion pulled out a small device from his pocket and pointed it at Sigma. Numbers flew across the screen, as did words. After a moment, he shouted, pointing at Sigma's middle head, "Destroy the middle one! Getting rid of that one should destroy him!"

     "Roger that, Scion!" X said, DASH-Jumping at Sigma, charging his X-Buster as he did so.

     Zero, Protoman and Bass joined their friend in the assault.

     Zero's blade bit into Sigma's titanium flesh, severing the head from the body within seconds. After that, he and Bass continuously fired down on it until there was nothing left but a pile of melted metal.

     The two looked at each other, then to Sigma's body, which lay behind them in a heap. "That was way, WAY too easy…" Zero said, frowning.

     Bass took slow and cautious steps toward Sigma's long serpent-like body. He poked it with the toe of his metal boots, the hollow sound of metal against metal ringing throughout the room.

     Bass turned and said, shrugging, "Seems dead…"

     Zero gasped and DASHed forward as he shouted, "Bass! Watch out!" he tackled the black-clad Reploid to the ground just as Sigma rose and fired a ball of red plasma at him.

     Zero and Bass stood, jumping out of the way of several balls of plasma, which collided with the ground, sending stone, smoke and metal flying. Zero cursed and fired his Z-Buster. It struck true, but it barely fazed the Maverick, resulting in only making him laugh as though it had tickled.

     Bass, not one to like being laughed at, charged Sigma, knocking the Maverick backwards when his shoulder connected with his chest. He stood on top of Sigma and bombarded the insane genocide maniac with plasma rounds.

     Sigma laughed and swatted the black-clad Reploid into the far wall with one quick flick of his tail. Bass struck the wall with a loud 'crack' and slumped to the floor, unconscious.

     Protoman and X ran over to help Zero, who was fighting Sigma himself. The two Reploids charged up their Buster-Guns and shouted, "Try this on for size!"

     Zero looked at the others. Scion and Izumi were tending to Bass, while Jake and Amy Rose charged up their attacks. After a moment, he shouted, "Scion! Is there any way to find this guy's weak point?!"

     Scion looked up and said, "Yeah!" He stood and whipped out the same device he had used before and scanned Sigma, who was swatting at X and Protoman like someone would a fly.

     After a moment, he shouted, "I got it! Aim for his left eye! Agh!" he suddenly flew backwards, crashing into the wall. He dropped to his knees, but caught himself with his hands. He looked up, wincing, at his attacker and gasped despite the amount of pain it caused him. 

"V-Vile…" he gasped, standing slowly, clutching his stomach with his left hand. Blood and Reploid fluids flowed from the wound.


	16. Fallen

Chapter 14:

Fallen

     "VILE?!" X and Zero yelped, dodging another one of Sigma's attacks.

     The Bobo Fett look-alike sneered under his bucket-like helmet, his single red eye glowing dimly. "Scion…long time no see, eh?"

     Scion groaned and stumbled forward, only to almost fall to the ground from his weakened state. Luckily, X caught him and called Ultra Unit over as he set Scion on the ground.

     But the usually calm and quiet Reploid/human simply shoved him away and stood, pointing his bloodied hand at Vile, covering the wound with his other hand. He shook unsteadily on his feet, leaning against the wall for support as he said, his arm from his elbow down glowing, "V-Vile…I owe you…for what you did…to me all those…years ago…"

     Vile laughed and aimed his shoulder-cannon at Scion, whose hand had turned into a Buster-gun. "Like to see you try, Sky!"

     "You can count on…that!!" Scion yelled, charging up his Sky-Buster. 

     Vile released his attack at the same time as Scion did, their attacks colliding. A huge explosion rocked the ground, sending whoever didn't have that good a footing in the first place sprawling.

     Sigma laughed, his tail snapping out and wrapping tightly around X and Zero. "Now, while Vile deals with everyone else, I'll finish you both off!"

     X grinded his teeth and struggled to wiggle his left hand free from the metallic tail.

     A sphere of plasma hit Sigma's tail, making him loosen his grip enough for X to pull free his hand. Everyone looked at the source of the shot and saw…

     "S-Signas?!" X and Zero yelled, their eyes going wide at the sight of the tall Maverick Hunter General. 

     Behind their commander, stood Douglas, some Lifesaver units and several other Hunters. Signas pointed at Sigma and shouted, "Ready? Aim! Fire!" The Hunters opened fire on the serpent form of Sigma, who was soon laying in a melted pile of ruble, X and Zero struggling out from under the tail.

     Meanwhile, Scion was pushed into a wall, alerting the Hunters and his friends of the still raging fight between him and Vile. Vile's hand wrapped around Scion's throat tightly, cutting off his air.

     Scion struggled to push Vile's hands off of him, but no anvil. Finally, just as the Hunters were about to fry the Boba Fett look-alike, he pressed his palm against Vile's forehead and gasped, his hand turning into the Sky-Buster, "Let…me…go!" he fired, the small, yet deadly, sphere shooting right through the Mavericks head.

     The Maverick slumped to the floor, as did Scion, who clutched his stomach wound tightly. A small trail of blood rolled from the corner of his mouth, dripping onto the floor.

     Douglas and several Lifesaver units ran over to tend to Scion, who was almost unconscious. With the sedative the head Lifesaver administered him, he was soon unconscious.

     Ultra Unit ran over and started asking questions, earning himself several strange looks. "How is he? Is he gonna be okay? When will he be awake? Will he live? What's gonna happen to us? Will I be put in the dog pound? I hope not! Where are you taking him?" X had to drag the panicked robotic dog away from the Lifesavers and Douglas.

     Signas walked over to them and said, "So…you haven't gone Maverick? Is that what I understand from what I've seen?"

     Zero nodded. "Yep." He then peered past the general and asked, "How's the kid?"

     "Douglas says that he's in critical condition, but he should be fine if we take him straight back to Head quarters. Would you and your friends like to come? Awk!" At the last sentence, Ultra Unit pounced on him and licked his face.

     "Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!" The robotic dog said, hugging the general, who sweat dropped.

     "…He can talk?"

     Everybody nodded. Bass sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Unfortunately…"


	17. Well, This was Expected

Chapter 15:

Well, This was Expected

     It had been four days since Scion was mortally injured and at the moment, he was in a comatose state.

     Every hour, everyone would come to see how he was doing and they would get the same answer. "He's still in a comatose."

     But, on the fourth day, when they went to "sick-bay" as Bass was fond of calling it, they found Scion sitting at the edge of the bed, quite awake and alive. 

     He looked up and said, smiling, "Hi, guys. How's everything going?"

     X grinned. "Everything's great! How about you?"

     Scion shrugged slowly. "Lifesaver said that my body to too badly damaged to be repaired or healed, so…"

     "So they turned him into a Reploid." Everyone turned and saw Signas walk in, Douglas and Alia at his side.

     Scion nodded and stood, standing amazingly steady despite all that he'd been through. "Again, thank you, Douglas."

     Douglas grinned and lowered the goggles that covered her brown eyes. He gave Scion a thumbs-up and said, rubbing the back of his green helmet, "Don't worry about it! I'm just glad that I could help someone who saved Zero and X's cans before they wound up in the scrap yard!"

     Signas nodded and said, "I apologize about the mix up, but…who real did kill those two Hunters?"

     X and Zero looked at each other. "Uh…we dunno…we didn't see them anywhere…"

     Signas sighed. "Well, it appears we're dealing with some doppelgangers…just great…"

     "'We're'?" Zero raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "You telling us what I think your telling us?"

     Signas nodded. "If it's that your both back on duty, then yes it is." X grinned and cheered.

     Douglas spoke up. "And, well, we're on a shortage of Hunters so…" he looked the group over and then to Signas, who nodded. "We were wondering if your friends would care to join us?"

     Izumi just about fainted as she gasped, "Us?! Maverick Hunters?!"

     Amy Rose grinned and said in union with her friends, giving Signas and Douglas a thumbs-up, "You got yourselves some new Hunters!!!"


	18. Ending and Beginning

Chapter 16:

Ending and Beginning

     Three months after Scion recovered and everyone were offered jobs as Maverick Hunters, Protoman soon became the commander of his own Unit, the Proto-Unit, amazing everyone with the short amount of time it took for him to accomplish that. 

     Zero and Protoman often fought side-by-side, often winning the battles against the Mavericks that they were combating. 

     Bass got tired of everyone pronouncing his name, 'Bass' instead of 'Base', so he decided to use his real name, Forte. People couldn't come up with any puns after that and is made that Reploid a happy one indeed. Anyway, he also shot up in rankings, although Alia had to report him a couple of times because of his hotheadedness.

     Scion and Ultra Unit became Douglas and Double's best friends and were learning new things about machines and where everything in the Hunter Base was (guess who taught them what). They also became Hunters in the Proto-Unit, but spent most of their free time talking with their friends.

     Izumi worked in the 17th Unit with Jake and X. Amy Rose worked in the 0 Class Unit with Bass (Forte), Treble and Zero.

     Zero and Forte are getting along better then they were before and could talk for about ten minutes before finding something to fight about, which was a world record for those two.

     Treble and Ultra Unit played the voices (or barks) of reason between the two.

     Jake had gotten access to the training simulator after two weeks of begging. He had asked Alia out several times before hand and only got as far as a stomp on the foot and a smack on the back of the head, courtesy of Alia's iron clipboard. So he finally gave up.

     Minmay was angry that she couldn't join the Hunters because she was too young, but soon got over it when she found out that she had access to almost every room (except the dorms, the training room and the armory) in the base.

     X was glad to have some new friends in the base and was also glad that he got his job back.

     It was at the beginning of the fourth month when they were called into the control room.

     "What is it, Commander?" Jake asked.

     Signas turned and said, "We just got reports in that eight Robot Masters have appeared."

     "The usual, right?" Forte asked. His answer was a nod and that was all he needed. Smirking, he said, "Well, looks like we got ourselves some Mavericks. Lets hit the road, guys!"

     "Yeah!" Pressing the buttons on their wrists, the group's armor appeared on them.

     Jake's looked like a black and red version of X's, Izumi's was like X's as well, only with several shades of yellow. Amy Rose's was the same, only hers was green.

     Scion's was much like Megaman Voulnut's (See "Megaman Legends") only with different shades of purple adorning it. He also had upgrades where he and Ultra Unit could meld together to become more powerful.

     Once their armor was on, they ran out the door toward their Ride Chasers.

To be continued…


End file.
